We Rode a REAL Vintage Train! 🚂 Learn All About Trains for Kids

Today we have come to take a ride on a super cool machine that moves on metal tracks. Can you guess what it is? Imagine a long line of giant metal boxes all holding hands. That is a train. A train is a special machine that travels on a road made of steel called a railway track. Unlike a car, a train can't turn its steering wheel to go left or right. It stays on its tracks and follows them wherever they go, through deep tunnels, over tall bridges and across big open fields. Every train needs a leader. The leader is called the locomotive or the engine. It sits at the very front and does all the hard work. The engine is the muscles of the train. It pulls all the other cars behind it. The train travels on a track. These are made of two metal rails. They keep the train from wobbling off the path. The driver of a train is called an engineer. The engineer sits in the front and makes sure the train goes the right speed and stops safely at the station. Just like there are different types of dogs and toys, there are different types of trains. Steam trains are old-fashioned. They go choo-choo and blow big clouds of white steam into the sky. Electric trains are super quiet. They get their juice from wires over the top of the train. Bullet trains are the superheroes of trains. They go so fast they look like a blur. And freight trains don't carry people. They carry toys, cars, coal and food in big heavy boxes. Now look at this fantastic train. This is a special kind of train called a vintage train. It's an older train, just like the ones people used many years ago. We are on a real vintage train ride at the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway in beautiful New Zealand. This train helps us travel back in time to see how trains used to look and sound. As we ride along, we can see the beautiful New Zealand countryside. The train driver is steering us safely along the tracks. These tracks were built long ago to connect towns, just like a giant road made of steel. Trains have very important jobs to do every single day. They take us on adventures. People ride passenger trains to go to work, visit grandma or see new places. They deliver our stuff. Freight trains bring things from far away so we can buy them at the store. One big train can carry as much as hundreds of trucks. And they help the earth. Because one train can carry so many people at once, it means fewer cars on the road. This helps keep our air clean. In the old days, the very last car of the train was a little red house called a caboose, where the crew slept. Engineers used the whistle to say hello or to tell people to stay back from the tracks because a big train is coming through. Trains are amazing. Next time you see a train, you'll know exactly what it is and all the important jobs it does. And make sure to listen for the clack clack of the wheels on the track. That's the sound of a giant machine doing its job. And now it's time to test your train knowledge. What are the metal roads that trains travel on called? Sidewalks, highways, rivers, tracks. Which part of the train is the leader that pulls all the other cars? The locomotive, the passenger car, the caboose, the wagon. What is the name of the person who drives the train? Pilot, captain, engineer, astronaut. Which type of train is known for being old-fashioned and blowing clouds of white steam? Electric train, steam train, bullet train, freight train. What do freight trains carry? Only people, clouds, stuff like toys, food and cars, animals for the zoo only. Why are trains good for the earth? They can carry many people at once, they are painted green, they go underwater, they plant seeds as they go. What is the superhero of trains that goes very very fast? Slow train, toy train, bullet train, bicycle train. Where do people wait to get on a train? In a tree house, at the beach, at the station, at the airport. Why does a train have a whistle? To play music, to make the train go faster, to tell people to stay safe and say hello, to wake up the passengers. In the old days what was the little red house at the end of the train called? The garage, the caboose, the kitchen, the attic.