A love of trains

Warren Buffett has just become the king of train collectors. The world’s second-richest man recently bought BNSF Railway Co., the nation’s second-largest railroad, to go along with a large model set in his Omaha home.

But you don’t have to be an oracle billionaire to appreciate choo-choos. There’s just something about trains — the clickety-clack of wheels on track, the shrill whistle blowing, the old-fashioned simplicity of rail travel — that endears them to people young and old.

“I think a lot of the love people have is simple nostalgia,” said John Bromley, director of historic programs at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs. “People have quite a romantic notion of what it’s like to have ridden on a train. They have the feeling of ‘Oh, those were the days.’ Sometimes it’s not too realistic, but it still means something to them.”

Still, few industries enjoy the railroad industry’s pop culture prominence.

“My day job is being a dentist,” said Richard Warner of Council Bluffs. “I’ve yet to find anybody who builds scale-model dental offices the way the model railroaders build train sets.”

And he’s never had anyone take pictures of the outside of his office like train buffs snap photos of steaming locomotives.

Warner recently finished a five-year term on Amtrak’s national advisory board. During that time, he logged 200,000 miles aboard Amtrak trains.

“Almost anytime one looks out the window, there is somebody out there taking a picture,” Warner said.

David Mrsny owns Omaha’s House of Trains model railroad store at 8106 Maple St. Every day, he sees scores of people who are into small trains, but for him, the real McCoys are the most impressive.

“They’re larger than life when they go by,” he said. “You look at it and this is rolling past you at 70 miles an hour. They’re a lot of fun.”

Just how much fun? Take a look at how trains have played a leading role in various forms of entertainment:

Films featuring famous train scenes

“The Bridge on the River Kwai” — An explosion that helped define a true classic.

“Back to the Future Part III” — How do you make a train cooler? Add time travel.

“Lawrence of Arabia” — One of the most harrowing train raids ever filmed and part of an epic.

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” — “Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?” Enough said.

“The Fugitive” — You’d run, too, if even the train was trying to catch you.

And a special addition: 1895’s “Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat,” one of the most important early motion pictures, directed by the Lumière brothers. Allegedly, the image of a filmed train was so startling to early audiences unaccustomed to moving pictures that they fled to the back of the theater as the locomotive rumbled on-screen.

Books featuring notable trains

“The Polar Express” — The 1984 book featuring a magical train ride to the North Pole inspired the 2004 film.

“Tootle” — The baby locomotive gets in all kinds of trouble when he leaves the rails while attending train school.

“Little Engine That Could” — “I think I can. I think I can.” Who are we fooling? We all thought you could.

“Boxcar Children” — Four orphans find refuge in one abandoned boxcar. A bit more complicated than “Tootle.”

“Harry Potter” — The Hogwarts Express serves as Potter’s yearly vessel into the world of magic.

Songs featuring trains

“I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” — If you’ve ever had kids, you know this classic can get stuck in your head all the live-long day.

“The Wabash Cannonball” — Now listen to the jingle — and the rumble and the roar — of this fictional train immortalized in the 19th century American folk song.

“Midnight Train to Georgia” — Gladys Knight & the Pips landed at No. 1 on the singles chart in 1973 with this classic Motown hit.

“Runaway Train” — Minneapolis alt rockers Soul Asylum got lots of radio play with this 1993 hit.

“Chattanooga Choo Choo” — Glenn Miller and his big band choo-chooed America home with this 1941 tune.

Train toys

Thomas the Tank Engine — The nice little blue engine dominated the toddler toy scene until that unfortunate lead paint dustup.

Lionel model trains — A popular electric train brand renowned for its attention to detail.

American Flyer model trains — The No. 2 brand that always tried to steam up behind Lionel.

Lego — All Legos are cool, but their buildable trains have been a staple since the 1960s.

GeoTrax — The powered plastic toys are newer to the train scene, but the Fisher-Price brand sells well with tots.

Famous real trains

The 20th Century Limited — America’s famous luxury train that ran from New York to Chicago from 1902 to 1967.

California Zephyr — The diesel-powered passenger train famous for its use of Vista-Dome cars runs from Chicago to the California coast with stops in Nebraska.

Trans-Siberian Express — At 5,778 miles, it’s the longest regular train trip in the world from Moscow to the Sea of Japan.

Orient Express — The original route stretched from Paris to Istanbul, covering six countries in between.

Bullet Train — Japan’s aerodynamic train travels at more than 100 mph.

Five local train treasure troves

Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. — It used to be Omaha’s main station and has some cool leftovers for train lovers.

Kenefick Park at Lauritzen Gardens, 100 Bancroft St. — Two Union Pacific trains from different eras greet visitors to Omaha.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum, 200 Pearl St. in Council Bluffs — If anyone knows trains, it’s U.P.

Rails West Railroad Museum, 1512 S. Main St. in Council Bluffs — The highlight is a room full of model trains that are almost always on the go.

Fremont Dinner Train, 650 N. H St. in Fremont — Want to ride a train and solve a murder mystery? Then head to the ’mont.