welcome to the 1950’s

The Great Tavares Train

Takeover

Our friends dressed like the 1950’s

We all came out on a very nice day. We were even were given our own train car. We took the train from Tavares to Eustis to Mt. Dora. We got off at Mt. Dora for the afternoon and then got back on the train for a ride back to Tavares.

Mt. Dora

Everyone said let’s do it again. So people that saw it on Facebook said they would love to do the train ride. They plan to get more train cars soon. Mt. Dora is a very old town that has lots of shopping. But we had lunch at a German restaurant. Others ate at an English restaurant. We got some pictures around town and we also got some curious looks. People would ask us what the event was. We also checked out some very nice tea houses. We plan to have high tea someday. We made some train trivia games for those attending to play on the train.

1950:Train Ride

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Waiting can sometimes be the hardest part of the journey. The train ran a little late, as is common with train travel. But the day was warm and lovely and none of the guests minded much. We had allowed plenty of time in our schedule to give everyone time to take the train, stop in Mt. Dora for lunch and some casual shopping and still make it back at a good time. Some of those who attended had to drive back to Tampa and other places south of the Orlando area, but no one seemed to mind making the drive.

Daniel and Anne Marie are still newlyweds, and love doing a variety of activities. We enjoyed their company throughout the day. He is a world traveler, and she is beginning to share in his travels. Update the year 2020 they now have a baby girl.

As you can see from this photo, the event was well attended. We were expecting about 32 people, but a few had to drop out at the last minute. This was a good- sized group, and everyone had a great time.

Miriam was the youngest of the group who attended this event. She went to special effort to make her outfit perfect for the era. Doesn’t she just look like a teen taking her first train trip by herself?

This older couple is taking a trip to see their grandchildren in another state. They look like they are anticipating an exciting trip.

There was a commemorative newspaper made for this beginning journey for the “new” train.

You can see that all of those who attended made every effort to dress in the era of the train. All of the vintage outfits looked perfect.

Crystal is Joanie’s “Disney daughter” and they always have to have a photo together. This started the first day they met. They have many common interests including sewing and baking. This train was so sleek. We loved the look of it and how well we all matched the vintage look of it. The conductor loved us, and joined right in with the fun. He gave us some trivia about the train and the area in which we were traveling. And of course, he got a kick out of the “newspaper article” we had with us and all the trivia in our games. He treated us well.

Finally we got to board the train and off on our adventure. Don’t these travelers look like they are ready for an adventure? Does it look like these passengers are writing letters home? They’re not, really, They are trying to answer train trivia questions that we gave them for the trip. Some were very easy and some were difficult, but almost everyone took part in the “quiz” and learned some things along the way.

There were so many dignified and gentile ladies on the train. This was the era when ladies were ladies and men were men. All of those attending did their best to conduct themselves as passengers would have in the 1940’s and 1950’s when this train was regularly scheduled for runs like this.

Ah, the era when trains were a common mode of travel! Life was slower then, and transportation just felt more elegant. It is fun to look back on this time in America, and to enjoy the different pace from the hustle and bustle that we live in now. The romance of train travel has been lost for a while, but we hope it will never fade entirely. We’re looking forward to a renewed love of this transportation by the generations to come.