Dear Pioneer,

Thank you for the kind words. The Goddesses were very flattered that you want to see our picture and have assured me that when the time comes, there will be so many pictures of our train that we’ll be spoiled for choice on what to send. Vesta suggested our letter writer might send a second envelope altogether, haha. I reminded her that stamps are expensive, but I’m very glad for the collective enthusiasm. I can’t remember the mood on this train being so light in a long time.

It’s wonderful to hear about your new ice cream parlor! I especially like that your visitors will be able to see the windows and fixtures in an authentic setting, being used for the things they were designed to do. It’s very… interactive! I don’t think the cold will deter your guests from enjoying the ice cream. Ceres says that people, children in particular, don’t mind eating cold food when it’s cold—especially ice cream. She would know better than an engine, I suppose! Personally, I think it sounds a bit like running your air conditioning in the snow. Maybe Finnegan’s can put hot chocolate on the menu during the winter months for cold guests who still want something sweet. (Gosh, that makes me sound very ‘Burlington’, doesn’t it?)

We have something similar here at the IRM, though it’s a bit more humble. Our East Union depot station on the main line is the original one from the nearby town of Marengo. It was originally built in 1851 and moved here to serve as our main line railway station in 1967 after it was retired. They actually cut the whole building into pieces and moved them on a flatcar, then reassembled them once it arrived. They tell me it was the first permanent structure on the property!

It’s nice, because it’s part of the local history as well as the history of railways in general. Not much of what we have at the IRM comes from this area specifically, especially now that we’ve grown so much that we can afford to take equipment from all over the country. That the first building on the property is something that locals have known and appreciated for its entire operating life—It feels like a fitting tribute.

Now it’s a nice spot for visitors to get out of the sun and wait for the trains while looking at old maps and brochures and pictures and various pieces of railway equipment that we received as donations. Venus says all of that stuff is called ‘ephemera’ which comes from a word that means “fleeting”, or only around for a short time. Of course, it’s part of our museum now, which makes it history!

All the steam engines and trolley cars have been winterized for their season-long vacation. During Members Day, I asked Frisco and Shay what they all get up to during the cold months when we have no visitors and Shay says it’s mostly talking about the old days and sleeping. They used to discuss their maintenance plans for the coming year, but Frisco said it often turned into a competition; Which she put a stop to last year by reminding everyone about every single thing they still had left to do for her restoration. “I’ve had enough work done for another service life. I win that argument every time,” were her words.

Of course, we’re all looking forward to our own list of things to be fixed out here on the wye, but for now it’s time for our volunteers to spend time with their families. The work will continue in January, I’m sure.

What are the MSI’s plans for the season? I have been looking at our museum in the snow and thinking about your Christmas trees and how wonderful they’re going to look! I think one day it might be nice for us to be open for a few days during the winter and hang up our own lights and things. They tell me engines always look good in the snow. I’ve been thinking about your yard in the snow, too.

Please wish everyone happy holidays from me and my train!

Your friend,

Pilot

Dear Pilot,

You and Ceres were right; despite the colder weather, the new ice cream parlor has been quite popular. I’m told it’s given Yesterday’s Main Street renewed interest. It looks quite dark in the postcard, but the ice cream parlour is bright and inviting. There was a picture in the newspaper of it that my guide thoughtfully clipped for me to send to you.

When we were new, everyone was so concerned with modernization and leaving the old behind. Give them thirty years though and now they are preserving not just us, but whole rooms and even entire buildings. Maybe since modern life goes at hundred miles per hour, it’s all people want to sit down, have some ice cream, and actually wait for a train.

As for the MSI’s holiday plans, there are too many to recount. All the trees for Christmas Around the World have been put up, of course. We’re also hosting a lot of cultural programs and dinners this month. Most of these are for countries represented by our trees and some nights more than one, but there was also one for Girl Scouts since they came in to decorate the American tree for us. Later this month, there’s going to be a lot of choral performances from local schools too. There’s so much happening indoors all at once that my guide says it’s a bit of a relief to come outside, even if it is cold.

We engines do look magnificent in the snow. In those early years, they used to shovel big piles of it onto our tracks for us to run into at speed. They called it “busting snow” and they would take pictures because they thought they could sell our shovelnoses as being good as snowplows. I’m not sure if we were really much better at it under less staged conditions, haha. We looked good at it though. There’s a really nice photo of one of my brothers with the snow bursting in front of him and flying out off his windows. It’s very dramatic and striking. I wish I knew which one he was; people often mistake that photo for me.

With our yard closed for the season, though, the guests only get to see the broad side of me and my train from the parking lot. Not my best angle and stainless steel can sometimes get lost in all that white, but at least U-505 serves as a backdrop for us to stand against. 999 and 2903 are looking much more picturesque with a nice dusting of powder. Their black liveries contrast so well against snow. They looked like a picture in a storybook together last week.

Snow used to feel very final to me. It marked the end of our working season, when they close off our yard for the year. My last run was on a snowy day too, you know. I wanted to go as fast as I could since I knew it was my last chance to, but also to draw it out as long as possible. My guide says people think of their lives in terms of seasons too and winter is the ending for them as well.

Ever since I’ve started asking about what goes on inside though, the cold weather doesn’t feel like an end at all. Things are still happening at my museum all through the winter and will be at yours when the new year starts too. As busy as it is, it’s nice to think of your winterized steam engines all buttoned up in their shed. Everyone has worked so hard this year, it’s nice to know you’re all getting a moment to sit and wait for spring too.

I’ll try then to appreciate the same in my own yard, but anticipating your next letter does help pass the time.

Your friend,

Pioneer