All aboard!

HURON TWP. — One of the area's hidden gems has pulled back into the station, ready to serve riders, no matter young or old. After COVID-19 sidetracked operations and its mission last year, members representing the Erie Metro Live Steamers geared up for an advantageous 2021. They spent their downtime building out and further developing the East Bay Railway. Totaling about 9,000 feet on a 1/8th scale track layout, people can board miniature trains — riders sit atop the cars, straddling them with their legs on either side — for a scenic voyage around Eagle Point within East Sandusky Bay MetroPark off Cleveland Road (U.S. 6). Lines — spanning, looping and bridging Eagle Point — crisscross through the waterfront park, guiding people through magnificent scenery of wooded areas, colorful wildflowers, local habitats and tall, mossy trees. The East Bay Railway consists of three tracks with each route taking about seven to eight minutes in length. How it happens The railway is funded exclusively by donations and run by volunteers from the Erie Metro Live Steamers, a nonprofit doubling as local train-enthusiast club. The club has built the entire track over the course of a decade. Due to bans on gatherings, in 2020, members couldn't offer public rides like they did in years past. Though they still visited the green space to work, realizing events, such as their public rides, would eventually return. "We did quite a bit of maintenance out here," the nonprofit's president Dave Foster said. "We just improved what we already had." Foster stressed the railway's educational component. The club and its railway collaborate with Operation Lifesaver, a nationwide nonprofit that works to prevent train-related injuries and fatalities. Though there's still an enjoyable element to riding trains, members said. The trains are "kind of a toy, but the kids will get off and say, 'Oh, that was neat.' The parents get off and they understand what it took to make this happen," club secretary Sandi Foster said. While sharing their love and interest in trains with the public is certainly a plus, members strive to strike a balance between teaching and captivating crowds. "Our charge is to educate and entertain," Dave said. "We are here because we like trains, and we are here because we like to play with the trains. But when I have a woman get off the train with two little kids and come up to me and say, 'That's the most fun I have had in years,' that makes it all worth it." All train rides are free to the public and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information about the club or the train, go to the Erie Metro Live Steamers Facebook page or eriemetrolivesteamers.com. Want to go? Erie Metro Live Steamers 2021 schedule All train rides provided by the Erie Metro Live Steamers are free and open to the public, including adults and supervised children. The attraction is located at Eagle Point in East Sandusky Bay MetroPark, 3819 Cleveland Road W., Huron. • 1-3 p.m. Saturday • 1-3 p.m. Aug. 21 • 1-3 p.m. Sept. 11 • 1-3 p.m. Oct. 2 • 3-5 p.m. Oct. 16