Boy Wins 'Extreme Train Makeover' | Gimundo

Boy Wins ‘Extreme Train Makeover’

A 12-year-old recently won an 'Extreme Train Makeover' to make rail cars accessible to people with handicaps.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on September 16 2008

12-year-old John Thomas (J.T.) Robertson must be destined for life as a train conductor. “I’ve been into trains probably from the day I was born,” he told Good Morning America. He didn’t just watch episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine, like most kids: “When I was very little,” he said, “my grandpa got me a train set. I would just watch it go round for hours and hours.”

When Robertson finally had the opportunity to ride the rails himself, he was transfixed by the thrill of the train. His journey on the Arcade and Attica Railroad in Arcade, New York, was so mind-blowing that he couldn’t keep it to himself: He decided to take his entire class on the ride with him. When he realized that some of his classmates couldn’t afford the ride’s fare, he spent a whole year saving money from recycling cans and bottles to raise more than $1,000, which he cashed in to pay their way.

That trip was such a delight that he’s made it a yearly getaway. “It never gets boring for some reason; it’s just very captivating,” he said. “It really takes people away from the regular stresses of life and lets them remember what it’s like to have fun.”

Every October, for Make a Difference Day, Robertson takes a new group of disadvantaged children on board the train - but recently, he ran into a problem when several disabled children were refused because the train was not handicapped-accessible. “He was outraged to think that kids his own age ... couldn’t ride a train because of a handicap,” his mother said.

But, once again, Robertson isn’t taking no for an answer: he recently sent a letter to the Extreme Makeover Home Edition show, asking if they might consider taking a detour from their usual settings to revamp the Arcade and Attica’s historic rail cars. To his surprise, the show’s host, Ty Pennington, accepted the request in person while Robertson was being interviewed on Good Morning America.

“I was speechless,” J.T. said. “It’s amazing. It’s been my dream for many years.”

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