Mountain Thunder

We set out on a bright autumn Friday for Uncle Andy's place with a three-fold mission: To celebrate cousin Garrett's first birthday; for Kathy to run in a 5K race; for Moses and I to finally ride the legendary steam engine, Mountain Thunder.
Stopping for gas outside Frederick, Maryland, Kathy and Violet got out to stretch. Violet kept looking at me, and as I tried to sneak a picture, she stuck out her tongue.
When we arrived, Aunt Lori incited Moses and Ruby to help make the birthday cake. They're excellent bakers.
Morning at Uncle Andy's place is amazing. He and Aunt Laurie live on the top of a mountain outside of Cumberland. From their porch, you can see all the way to Romney, West Virginia. That's pretty far.
We didn't make it to the race. I took a wrong turn and wasted about 45 minutes, which was just enough to see everyone standing around the finish line as I arrived with all three kids. Whoops. Kathy said she didn't run well, and felt heavy-legged.
Moving right along, Moses and I walked over to the train station to wait for Mountain Thunder's arrival. Moses was decked out in his conductor's hat, bandana, matching conductor shorts and his pocket watch.
It was like travelling with a celebrity. A lot of the old-timers wanted to chat with the Mose man about his interest in trains. The most common opening salvo included a variation on the phrase "You look like you could be driving this train", which Moses liked very much. He talked with some really interesting people, sharing his enthusiasm and enjoying that of others.

Finally, after a very long wait, the mighty Consolidation pulled into the station. The actual presence of Mountain Thunder is a powerful and intimidating thing, and I could see Moses' trepidation. Only his undying devotion to this odd piece of railroad history calmed his anxiety.
In case you didn't know, Mountain Thunder is a 1916 Baldwin Consolidation 2-8-0 that spent it's working life with the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad. Moses and I walked up the steps and past the conductor, who instead of saying "All Aboard" greeted us with "Watch Your Step", which is probably a lot more useful. We took our seats, and Moses watched out the window until we heard a bell, then a great blast of the whistle as the engine belched smoke and pulled forward. Next stop, Frostburg Maryland.