All aboard, locomotive available for train safety lessons

Wilds Pierce, Georgia Northeastern Railroad president, said an appraiser listed the rusty locomotive as reusable for parts after his company acquired it 12 years ago. He  had several offers for the engine, but decided to donate the locomotive after visiting the county-run safety center last year.

“I knew right and then that this could make a difference for children,” Pierce said. "The center is the best thing I’ve ever seen and you can’t emphasize safety enough.”

The locomotive was stripped, primed and painted a bright red before moved to the eight-acre Safety Village site on Al Bishop Drive in Marietta. It sits on 100 feet of tracks with armed and unarmed crossings. The ties and crossing arms were donated by Norfolk Southern Railroad. Although the train is out of commission, speakers will produce the sound of an approaching train with a whistle blowing. A stationary school bus located nearby will also be a part of the lesson plan.

Dodson, who worked as a switchman in Atlanta’s Inman Yards before joining the Cobb Fire Department 17 years ago, said the locomotive will make the lesson on train safety realistic for children. Students will learn how to exit from the rear of the bus during an emergency and why it is important to be quiet when their school bus crosses train tracks.

Dodson said 19,186 children went through the three-hour safety program last year. Inside, children climb out a bedroom window and down a short ladder to learn how to react to a fire. Outside, they ride around the village in small electric cars to understand traffic safety.

“We want them doing stuff to retain the material we teach them,” he said. “If you tell them, they may forget; but if you involve them, they will learn for a lifetime.”