By RON GOWER

TNEDITOR@TNONLINE.COM

Have the Jim Thorpe train rides reached the end of the line?

Hopefully not. Hopefully there can be some sort of compromise reached between the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway and Jim Thorpe borough and school officials to keep the train schedules on track next year.

The dispute is regarding an amusement tax that the railroad officials feel they shouldn’t have to pay.

I don’t know enough about the amusement tax to debate the matter. Is it applied to amusement rides when carnivals are held?

Anyway, those trains have given my family and me a lot of great memories.

One summer season, Lauren and I took our grandchildren on 18 train trips in Jim Thorpe. We also went to other areas like Kempton, Strasburg and Scranton. We enjoyed the Jim Thorpe ride the best.

That year, we rode the Port Clinton trip, the Dutch treat train, the bicycle train and, of course, the best of all, the High Bridge trip.

The grandchildren, Tyler and Spencer, were always up for a train ride. Tyler, when he was younger, would be especially interested with the couplings, the wheels and the other components. His biggest thrill was when his Aunt Katie got him a ride in the engine for a birthday present.

The steamer, the 425 from the 1920s, was always the biggest hit. The whistle was thrilling to hear.

Lauren didn’t mind that we took so many train rides. She always said that we live so close, it would be sad for the boys to miss out on this throwback of history.

We met a lot of people from other states who took the train rides and were as thrilled as we were; people from North Carolina, Michigan and Ohio. Of course, it was common to meet people from the Philadelphia, Scranton and other areas.

The trains have been featured as a cover story in Pennsylvania magazine, as a feature in The Philadelphia Inquirer and mentioned in many other publications.

I’m old enough to vaguely remember the old passenger trains of the Lehigh Valley Railroad that would transport people on a daily basis to the Lehigh Valley and other locations.

My grandfather, Robert Leickel, used to tell me about his trips on those trains and I could only wish that I had that same opportunity to take rides and hear the clank of the passenger cars.

The late George Hart was instrumental in bringing passenger rides back to Carbon County.

The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway had more financial resources and increased the number of trains and trips.

There are other places that still have train rides, but those in Jim Thorpe were unique. There’s nothing like sitting on the High Bridge and seeing the gorgeous fall foliage and other breathtaking sights. The narration on the train to Penn Haven Junction is interesting and educational. The stories about the houses in Penn Haven and the commute the kids there had from school, the turntable and the facts about Jim Thorpe always kept the train ride fun.

We rode the caboose whenever possible.

Hopefully, the train rides will be continue to be available so youngsters can have the same fun my grandchildren had.

Jim Thorpe was an ideal location for the train rides.

Years ago America was where settlers came because of excessive taxation. In general, America seems to have that problem now.