As a child, I remember spending a lot of time in the world of make believe, especially when it came to trains. I grew up in Cahokia, Illinois and the main road, Highway 157, had a railroad crossing at each end of the town. It seemed like you could not get out of town without being stopped by a train, usually a long freight. When I would see that big diesel engine coming down the track, I would pretend I was driving it. I was back into my world of make believe. I received my first Lionel "Santa Fe' freight with twin F7 A units at Christmas in 1959 when I was 5 years old. Every Christmas my dad and I would set the train up under our tree and I would lay down on the floor and for hours I would pretend to be the engineer. It was also around this time in my life that my parents took me to my first drive-in movie theatre, the Skyview Drive-In, located in Belleville, Illinois. They had a huge playground with a miniature train moving around the oval track carrying a load of kids. From that moment on I was in love!

As I grew older, I never lost my love of trains.  Forty years later, I happened to be in Belleville, Illinois working and I passed the Skyview Drive-In.  Although it was closed for the season, everything was the same except the old train was gone.  The owner, Steve Bloomer, happened to be there and kindly gave me a tour.  He also mentioned that the Skyview would be celebrating its 50th anniversary on July 8, 1999.  A wild and crazy idea entered my mind!  What if I could find one of those old trains for the celebration?

With the help of a terrific website, Amusement Park Trains, I was able to get in touch with Bob "Smitty" Smith who works on the G-16's owned by Bob Panella in northern California.  Smitty introduced me to Greg & Susan Robinson, publishers of GSQ (Grand Scales Quarterly).  I discovered that the G-16's were out of my price range and I also learned that I needed a smaller train that would be portable so that I could transport them from place to place. These are the G-12's which are similar to the G-16's but they are portable and less costly. Through one of the ads in the GSQ, I located a G-12.  It had been renovated with a bigger motor, included 240 feet of track and was ready to roll!   With the support of my very close and dear cousin, Gary Uhlemeyer, I went to Chicago and bought myself a train! 

The first job for Rails of Fun was for the biggest traveling model train exposition in the country, the Great American Train Show. The second job was the most exciting.  I donated the use of my train for free during the week of July 5 - 11, 1999 at the Skyview Drive-In for their 50th anniversary celebration.  My 10-year-old son, Eric Uhlemeyer, helps me set up the trains, track and the portable fences. The excitement on his face matches the excitement of the kids riding the train. In fact, several of the adults were more fascinated by it as they haven't seen one since they were kids.

I am forever grateful to everyone who has helped me fulfill my childhood dream.  I am having the most fun ever in my life and I wish that all who ride my train will have 'Rails of Fun', too!