Champaign-Urbana area children will have the opportunity to get a free train ride on “Little Obie”- a scale model of a Canadian National train that educates kids about railway safety.
Rides will take place on Monday, Aug. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. The train will load on Green Street between Wright and Mathews Avenue (across from the Illini Union).
The train, which includes a flatcar and caboose, is in town as part of the 2014 Global Level Safety and Trespass Prevention Symposium being held at the University of Illinois this year.
Short rides will be offered around the Bardeen Quad while CN representatives talk to children about the dangers of trespassing on railway property and the importance of safety at crossings.
To get there: Parking is a little tight on campus this summer, with construction everywhere. If you are driving, check out this handy map of parking lots as well as meter access. There’s also a small metered lot at the Illini Union as well as metered parking on Mathews Avenue south of Green Street. CUMTD goes right to that location, if you want to try the bus instead.