A lesson on the history & science of Trains

By Shelby Howard, Head Teacher, W.W.L.R.W.

ALL ABOARD TO CHAPEL HALT:

Upon arrival students will come first to the main train station.

While in the station they will begin to learn about the history of trains by viewing a large hand painted wall mural depicting 18^th. Century Welsh slate mining.

They will also look at the model train that goes around the inside of the station.

The students will then board a train pulled by our steam-powered locomotive “Dame Ann” for a half mile ride to Chapel Halt. There they will receive a classroom lesson about the history, science, and safety issues concerning trains.

A long the ride they will pass by the coal dumping station, the play ground area, the Keep, the waterfall, fresh water lake, beach area, and community building. All the buildings are styled to look like 18th century Victorian structures.

At Chapel Halt the students will de-train and enter the activities building for their lesson.

The lesson is as follows:

1. History of trains:

Using visual and hands on materials the children will learn that trains date back as far 1630.

They will learn what the trains did and what they still do.

They will also learn why the trains are such an important part of our history.

They will learn why trains are so important now and in our future.

The first train was in 1630. It was built to go into the coalmines.

It was a wooden wagon pulled by horses on a wooden plank road.

The first steam engine came from England in 1753.

The early trains were used to build the country.

They moved supplies and people.

All the work to build the railroad was done by people and by hand.

2. Riding the Rails on the Gulf Coast:

The Original Pensacola and Perdio railroad was formed in 1837.

It was a short 8 miles from the docks of Pensacola to the sawmill town of Millview .

The railroad carried in supplies for the town and mill and carried the lumber produced at the mill back to the docks for export.

The first railroad in Baldwin county, ran along Sand creek connecting Southern States logging camp to what is now the center of Foley, Al. with their sawmills, at Swifts, Al, what is now called Miflin.

The railroads in Baldwin County went through many name changes and different companies. In 1971 the railroad was owned by the L&N Company. They discounted service to Foley. The railroad wanted to destroy the building we now know as the Foley railroad museum but Mr. John Snook saved the building by buying it for $ 1.00. He used it as a storage building for the Gulf Telephone Company until 1995. It was then returned to its original site and made into a museum.

3. Science of steam trains:

Using visual and hands on materials the children will learn what coal is and what it is used for.

They will learn how coal was mined.

They will examine some everyday products that are made from coal such as------.

Billiard balls; bowling balls; disinfectants; dyes, laughing gas, sugar substitutes, perfumes and some make-ups.

They will learn how coal is used as a fuel by studying a diagram and hands on inspection of a locomotive that is “steamed up”.

4. Stop Look and Listen! Railroad and train safety:

Using visual and hands on materials the children will learn about being safe around railroads and trains using the slogan “ STOP, LOOK, LISTEN.

STOP:

All school buses are required by law to stop at railroad crossings. They have to open the bus doors and look out the door for trains. (Some grandparents may recall when they were little and the bus driver would have them get off the bus and look up and down the railroad for trains.)  In Baldwin County, the school bus driver has to put on the hand brake of the bus while stopping at a railroad crossing.

When driving in a car pay attention to all railroad crossing signs. The cross buck sign is the most common sign at high way rail intersections. It has two white crossed boards with the words in black RAIL ROAD CROSSING. This should be treated as a yield sign, slow down and look both ways and always expect a train. The stop and yield sign means the same thing as they do on a highway intersections. A driver must always stop at the STOP sign in advance of the railroad tracks. Every drive must YIELD the right of way to a train.

LOOK:

Always look both ways when crossing a railroad track. Always look for the signs that are on or near the railroad tracks. They are called passive signs. An example of a passive sign is a No Trespassing sign.

Right of Ways, Trestles and tunnels have NO TRESPASSING signs warning you to stay away. These signs are necessary because you may not be able to tell when a train is coming. You can be arrested and fined if you disobey these NO TRESPASSING signs.

Some railroads have Active Devices at railroad crossing. These are the flashing red lights, with or without bells. When the black and white crossing guard arm is down this mans a train is coming. Do not go around the crossing guard arm. Wait for the train to pass and the guard arm to go back up. Then it is safe to cross the railroad tracks.

LISTEN:

. When riding in a school bus the driver may ask for everyone to be quiet while they are stopping and looking at the railroad crossing. That is because sometimes you can hear a train coming before you can see it. Even if you are in a car with the windows rolled up you can often hear a train coming if you’re quite.

When walking across a railroad track, you want to always STOP and LOOK both ways, just like you would do when going across a road. LISTEN for the sound of the train coming. Listen for the train whistle blowing or the flashing red light and warning bells of the black and white crossing arm guard. Cross the railroad tracks only after you are sure it is safe to do so.

The children will practice STOP, LOOK and LISTEN when doing the safety walk along the train tracks at the grade crossing.

It’s a fact, Jack!

Some train facts to think about concerning why you need to be safe around trains and railroad tracks.

Train cars are often 3 feet wider then the train tracks. If you are walking along a railroad track the train cars can hit you if there is not enough side clearance.

A train will always win in a race with a car. A train can take a mile to stop. More than half of train collisions happen in daylight hours. Nearly 50% of all collisions happen at crossings equipped with automatic warning devices. You are 20 times more likely to die in a collision with a train then in a collision involving another motor vehicle.

Just for the Fun of it:  If time allows some of the fallowing activities will be offered.

 Songs:

Trains

Here’s a little choo-choo train chugging down the track

Now it goes forward, now it goes back, now the whistle blows

Whooooo, whooooo! What a lot of noise it makes. Every where it goes

Chooo-chooo-chooo! The train is running back.

Little Red Caboose

Little Red Caboose, chug! chug! chug! little red caboose, chug!chug!chug!

Little red caboose behind the train, train, train, train.Comin’ around the track, track,

Track. Little red caboose behind the train. Wooooo! Wooooo!

A finger play

Engine on the track

Here’s the engine on the track (hold up thumb)

Here’s the coal car, just in back (hold up pointer finger)

Here is the box car to carry freight (hold up middle finger)

Here’s the mail car. Don’t be late. (Hold up ring finger)

Way back here at the end of the train (hold up little finger) rides the caboose through the sun and rain.

Art:

Have children design a safety poster about what they have learned.

Make a train out of cut out shapes, of squares and circles.

Children can draw pictures of trains and the things they saw on the field trip.

Games

Play Simon says.

Simon says Stop at the cross over.   Simon says no playing on the rail road tracks.

Make up other commands using what the children learned on the field trip.

Add movements, look to left look to the right. Walk in place. Make up other movements using what the children learned on the field trip.

Engineer, engineer where’s your whistle (Using the game, Doggie, doggie where’s your bone).

Return trip:

After the classroom lesson the children will re-board the train for the half-mile return trip to the main station.

The train will climb a steep grade on the return trip. This is a good time for the students to hear the sounds of a steam locomotive pulling a heavy load.

 After the train returns to the main station the students can get out of the train cars and line up to blow the train whistle.

 When everyone has fished blowing the whistle, we can take a group picture in front of the steam locomotive “Dame Ann”.

Walking tour:

The children will take a guided walking tour along the train tracks from the main station to the grade crossing at the park entrance.

They will through a switch and observe how this enables trains to change tracks.

 The students will continue walking along the train tracks to a grade crossing.

At the grade crossing the students will practice the principals of the STOP, LOOK and LISTEN safety lesson they have just learned to end the lesson.

AFTER THE LESSON:

 After the safety lesson making the teacher can take the children to the playground area.

The playgrounds are equipped for picnic lunches.

In bad weather inside accommodations will be provided for lunches.