Almost every interesting place that you visit in this country, whether it’s a museum, a gallery, aquarium, website or whatever, has to have a gift shop to help defray the cost of building, maintaining and updating the place so that it remains appealing, informative and useful to those who visit. This page is the gift shop, so to speak for this site. Hopefully, it will be interesting to some, useful for others and not too offensive to those who don’t like gift shops in general…
This is a place where you can slow down and browse for a minute. Get a cup of coffee and relax. Hold off on the intense reading for a while and just look at some train stuff for fun.
Maybe you’ll see something you’d like for yourself or for a friend or family member. The Holidays are just around the corner. Might be a good time to start looking.
Even if you don’t buy anything, I hope you have fun just looking around. Any time that you want to just relax a bit and do nothing but mindless browsing for a while, we'll be here for you. Take your time. Then, when you’re ready, get back to the layout! You’ll feel better - Refreshed and ready to tackle the next challenge.
TALES FROM CHRISTMAS TRAINS 1830 2030 James F. Kaserman & Sarah Jane Kaserman
A GREAT book for the whole family!
Historical fiction at its absolute finest, this fanciful collection of Christmas stories charts the history of the railroads as it shares a parallel message of family tradition and American ingenuity.
Robust and sincere, Tales from Christmas Trains by award-winning coauthors James F. and Sarah Jane Kaserman is a holiday treat for the whole family. A savvy work of historical fiction, this literary masterwork celebrates the great American railways and family tradition. With a rewarding charm, it offers ten timeless Christmas tales dating from 1830 to the not so distant future of 2030.
Each vignette reads as a magnetic and distinct tale that is as tender and sincere as it is wise and reminiscent of a more generous and simpler time. Highlighting the lives of the Kanes, a family of railcar magnates, the novel follows a chronological sequence of holiday seasons from just prior to the American Civil War through the Great Depression and the Second World War to the present day and beyond. Against a backdrop of railroad customs and one familys traditions, with chapter titles such as The First Christmas Train, 1830, Civilizing the Wild West, A Christmas Wedding, 1884 and World War II Christmas in Ohio, the past comes alive, the future is supposed and absolutely all of it is celebrated. A few of the passages are heartrending, others are joyouseach is entertaining. Readers will recall their favorite Christmas seasons of yore, celebrate the here and now and have hope for the future. This book is a journey in which readers are able to see the best of the Christmasseason where reunion and love are bound in time without end. If you are looking for the perfect Christmas giftlook no further.
Author Bio
A former staff sergeant, James F. Kaserman received a masters in educational administration at the University of Dayton. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, teacher, coach and administrator and is a professional racecar driver, winning the 2007 Daytona Antique Auto Racing Associations Championship. Coauthor Sarah Jane Kaserman earned a masters degree in deaf education from Kent State University. An educator for more than thirty-five years, she recently retired as a teacher of gifted students. A violinist and fiddle player, she arranged music and played fiddle for the Civil War movie The Miracle Men.
They have written three award-winning pirate novels: Gasparilla Pirate Genius: The Legend of Gasparilla, A Tale for All Ages and How the Pirates Saved Christmas. Their latest title, Pirates of Southwest Florida: Fact and Legend, is used in their teaching at the Florida Gulf Coast Universitys Renaissance Academy. Currently, the couple lives in Fort Myers, Florida. Check out their web site at http://www.sarahjameskaserman.com