Today I was invited to the Pinnacle Hills Promenade to photograph one of the newest attractions, an electric train that hauls visitors around the mall. I wasn’t really sure what this was going to be. I try to visualize some photos before they happen, but I couldn’t get a good mental picture of what this new train was until I arrived. At first I thought it may be a cable car sort of transport tool to help people get around the mall. After talking with a marketing person at the mall, she said that it was an added attraction to enhance the shopping experience, but it was not for transportation. Now I was totally confused.

When I arrived at the mall, all questions were answered as a small train on wheels passed by blowing puffs of smoke and blowing a familiar train whistle. Once I parked and walked to the depot in front of the food court, I began to understand what the marketing person meant by the train being an added attraction. Anywhere the train traveled, kids stopped and watched, not saying a word or paying attention to anything else. It was pretty cool. One parent walked by and said they were going to ride after lunch, explaining a neighbor had all ready told her family about the train even though it had only been two days since its maiden voyage.

The train is powered by an electric motor and takes visitors on a six-minute ride through the mall property in Rogers. The train will run through normal mall hours until Sunday this week, and will be available to ride Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays after this week. Here are some photos of the kids enjoying their rides Wednesday.