CULPEPER, Va.— In a world where children are entranced by the immersive worlds of video games and the internet, one young man has been enthralled by a much older technology that continues to chug along.
Kaleb Myers is a 12-year-old student at Floyd T. Binns Middle School who has been a big fan of trains. That fascination has grown into a trainspotting hobby, and he hopes to one day be a conductor.
“I’d seen people on YouTube do it, and it made me want to get into the hobby. I’ve always liked trains since I was young,” said the sixth grader.
Since 2021, Kaleb has been trainspotting at the Culpeper Depot, watching as commuter and freight trains pass. He often takes photos and video of the trains going by, which he posts on social media.
Kaleb is able to keep track of the train routes via Amtrak’s app, which he uses to determine when trains will come into Culpeper or Lynchburg. For his birthday, he received a portable scanner for rail enthusiasts that allows him to follow daily operations. Kaleb has also used the device to speak to train workers from transportation company Norfolk Southern.
Laura Burgess, Kaleb’s mother, said her son has been fascinated by trains his entire life. It began when he first saw a character called Koko, an anthropomorphic train from the British cartoon “Chuggington.” The animated series has a premise similar to Disney/Pixar’s “Cars,” but with trains.
“I like all the different types of trains, there’s passenger trains and freight trains, I like certain paint schemes on trains. It’s cool to see all the different styles. I like to see them all,” Kaleb said.
As Kaleb’s interest grew, he eventually honed in on a favorite train.
“As Kaleb got older, he discovered the steam engine of the Norfolk and Western 611. Kaleb would ask about the 611, if and when it was coming through Culpeper,” said Burgess.
The family would go to the train depot and watch the 611 go by. They would also, on occasion, follow the train as it traveled to the Manassas train station.
For his fifth birthday, Kaleb visited the Virginia Transportation Museum, where he got to see a 611 up close.
According to Eric Myers, Kaleb’s father, his son’s love of trains is represented in the boy’s room.
“Kaleb has a lot of pictures of trains, he has toy train models and he even has clothes that show his love of trains,” his father said.
Burgess said Kaleb also has a large amount of merchandise depicting the 611 — pins, models and a wooden toy set of the steam engine.
Sharon Orr worked at the Culpeper Visitor Center for 13 years and recounted Kaleb’s visits as one of the things she has missed since leaving her post. Orr said she and the boy would talk about his trainspotting, and she would look over his photographs of trains.
“Kaleb was the only young one that I know of that came to the visitors center. He has great knowledge about all trains. I looked forward to his many visits a few times a week. When he came in, he was so excited to share everything with me,” Orr said.
Myers hopes to become a train conductor after he graduates high school.
He wants to go to college in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he would have to go through three to six months of training to conduct a freight train.
Kaleb is also interested in possibly conducting trains for Amtrak, though he said he doesn’t know the process for that yet. But he will keep chugging.
