Lunch at the Whistle Stop

As previous posts have mentioned, we had a toddler at our house for several days and needed to find activities for him. Because he really likes vehicles, we thought a trip to the Whistle Stop Cafe north of Monon would be fun.

Outside the cafe is an assortment of signs and railroad artifacts. One of the best is a caboose. Our guy probably thought he was driving it with this wheel.This caboose is open for inspection. Inside it is neat and clean, probably much cleaner than a working caboose would have been. An old pot-bellied stove dominates the front part of the caboose.There are seats up high so the brakeman could watch over the train, and it is a lot of fun climbing up if you are a toddler who loves to climb.
The view from one of the windows is of a parking lot with many railroad signs in the median.
We set out to explore other exhibits.
This little depot is like many that were in small towns all over America a century ago.
Our toddler did not know what to do with this hand car. You have to be pretty old to ever have seen these in action.

After we explored the exterior, it was time for lunch. The highlight of the restaurant is the set of four trains that run continuously above the diners. Our little guy was fascinated. He normally does not behave well in restaurants, but he was quiet the whole time. He was so fascinated that he ate almost nothing, but the adults enjoyed their meal. Here is some video showing what the trains look like. If you have never been to the Whistle Stop, you should go some time, especially if you have some kids who like trains.

PS We did not go the the dairy farm. Our toddler for the week lives on a ranch and sees cows every day. On the other hand, the nearest railroad is about a hundred miles from where he lives, so trains are special.