I'm Only Half As Old As This Steam Engine!

I turned 50 a few weeks ago. To celebrate, la famille Watson (Steve, Seanna, Trevyn, Nic) took a ride on the Hull, Chelsea & Wakefield Sunset Dinner Train. Old 909 turns 100 this year, making her twice as old as me -- so if she can keep chugging, so can I!



It was raining when we pulled out of the HCW depot, but it cleared up and the sun came out by the time we passed Chelsea. Here I am, enjoying myself: I'm on a train, I'm about to be treated to a great meal and a glass of wine -- does life get any better?



















OK: so what's the deal with these Tonka toys? They've been sitting on this track vehicle, on a siding somewhere around Farm Point, for at least five years (my last trip on the steam train), probably longer.





















After about 90 minutes we reach Wakefield, where the locomotive is turned, watered and a bit of grease applied to important bits of the drivers. The guy in the snazzy hat at right is OVAR member Michel Boucher, at his summer job as HCW conductor.

See it all, in glorious video that's been compressed to fuzzy crap by YouTube (The original is much better. Really):


The glow of the fire, under the cab:
Sort of like a big birthday candle for me to celebrate having spent a half-century on this planet.