The Martini Special

A grand plan is undertaken to provide a treat for two long-time friends. The plan naturally involves both the railway and our beverage of choice. The idea is to surprise our friends and demonstrate the versatility of the railway. The centerpiece of this plan is to have a special train deliver the necessaries for making martini cocktails to The Depot at Martini Junction in an unforgettable style, hence the Martini Special. 

The train consist has two gondolas each carrying two inverted cocktail glasses. These are carefully chocked to prevent breakage. Next comes a gondola with a metal flask lying flat and then another gondola with four small carafes A caboose tags along to make it a proper train.  So far so good. And now comes the fun part.

Our friends know nothing other than were going into the woods to have a drink but when my wife and I don safety vests and hard hats they get a little suspicious. Still, we act casually as though nothing out of the ordinary is going on. I’m carrying a case we’ve all seen before and it contains all the hardware mentioned above as well as ice and olives.

The four of us hike out to The Depot but when we arrive I tell our friends that we have a new program. The idea is to move them away from The Depot so that I can surreptitiously put the train together without them seeing anything until we’re ready. I say that ICC regulations require spectators to be positioned a safe distance from any area where hazardous chemicals are being handled and my wife escorts them over a hill out of sight. Before they leave I tell them I’ll blow a whistle when it’s safe to return.

I busy myself putting the train together, running it out to the waterfall loop, and stopping it as it starts back down the straightaway. I blow the all-clear whistle and start the train again so that it pulls into The Depot just as our friends are returning. Quite spectacular and the martinis weren’t too bad either.