On Saturday, Oct. 30, 1999, most of the students and
teachers went on a field trip to enjoy the last remaining New York State steam
train ride from Arcade to Attica and back. The weather was perfect, blessing
us with the beautiful Indian Summer day. The two school busses left St.
Maximilian Kolbe School at 10:30 a.m. and after about an hour we reached
Arcade Steam Train Station. We embarked the last car of the train, reserved
especially for our group, and the ride begun. To many of the older group
members who grew up in Poland, the ride brought definite memories of train
rides in Poland - similar sounds, shaking, and pleasant atmosphere. One of the
most enjoyable aspects of the ride was visiting of an open car, from where we
could admire the splendor of the steam engine in front of us, as well as, the
unobstructed views on both sides of the tracks. After reaching Attica and
switching the engine to the other side, we begun our journey back to Arcade.
What added to the joy of the experience was the Halloween weekend, with many
children wearing "scary" costumes. Finally, after the ride was over,
we stopped at the local "Burger King" in Arcade for a snack. We came
back to the school's parking lot around 4:30 p.m. No doubt, both adults and
children had a truly memorable day.
