Rogue Train

We had a good day today. We walked to the Farmer's Market in the morning via one of our usual routes, the locks and the train tracks. These tracks go through the inductrial/dock side of our neighborhood but we had always thought they were defunct. We had never seen a train on them and they didn't even appear as if a train could be on them. Still, I was raised never to walk on the tracks just in case.

I was taking some pictures of all the metal dock buildings and we kept hearing this repeating whistle, getting louder and louder. Mr. Apple said, "Could that be a train coming down these tracks?" and I believe I actually scoffed and said "No way, it must just be on the nearby (working) tracks." Then suddenly, this engine appeared! And it was coming straight down the tracks we had never seen used before and it was blowing it's whistle at us!

It says "Ballard Terminal RR", Engine 98. But it was being driven by an old man with several people and young children in the cab, and this man on the front giving the all-clear sign that people are off the tracks. It was literally like a family out for a Sunday joy-ride in their train engine. Crazy!

We watched it pass, and I blipped it of course. At the end of the night when we were getting ready for bed, Mr. Apple said, "I liked seeing that rogue train with you today." and I just loved that sentence.