Passenger Train Coloring Page

This passenger train coloring page puts you at a country crossing as a modern train goes by. A blue engine with a long sloped nose leads a coach full of people, with a face at all six windows. The gates are down and the red lights are on. An orange car waits on the road with two kids in the back seat, while a father and daughter wave from the grass. A sunny sky, a row of small houses and a few trees finish the scene.

Ages four to ten can finish it in about twenty five minutes. It is one of the easier sheets in the set. Wide open shapes help. So does the clear story.

Colors for a modern train

Blue and red with white between them make a clean, modern look. Paint the engine blue on top and red along the stripe. Leave the coach white, or use a light gray roof with the same red stripe, so the two parts look like one train.

Each passenger can have a different hair color. Let your child choose skin tones too, and maybe match a few to the family. Give the car a cheerful orange and the road a soft gray.

Paint the gate arms in red and white stripes, as they already have their blocks marked out. The houses on the hill can be any bright mix. Green grass and a blue sky tie the whole page together.

Tips for this passenger train coloring page

• Color the faces first with a sharp pencil, since they are the smallest things here.
• Make the coach windows pale, so the faces do not get lost.
• Use long side to side strokes on the train, to give a feeling of speed.
• Add a yellow glow to the sun last, so it does not smear across the sky.

Younger kids can skip the wires and the small houses. The train, the car and the two people waving are enough to make a fine picture.

A short history of riding the rails

Trains started slowly. The first regular service, in Wales in 1807, was pulled by horses. In 1825, an engine called Locomotion No. 1 carried people on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in England, at up to 15 miles per hour. Compare that with the fast trains of today.

On a long trip, a train can feel like a moving hotel. Dining cars serve meals, and sleeping cars have beds for overnight rides. Short commuter trains run instead at busy times of day, bringing people to work in the city. Most of these trains run to a set timetable and get priority over freight trains. This article on the passenger train explains the different kinds.

Make it a story

Give every passenger a reason to ride. One is going to see a grandmother. Another is headed to a big game. Number the six windows and let your child make up six short stories. Or roll a die to choose which rider tells a tale at bedtime.

Plan a trip together. Find a timetable online, or make one up with four towns and four times. How long does the train take between stops? Older kids can practice adding minutes, and younger ones can just match the towns to the clock.

Use the crossing for a safety moment, too. Ask why the car waits, and why the kids on the grass stand well back from the rails. Then tell your child that a train always needs far more room to stop than a car does.

Other trains to ride

This passenger train coloring page is part of our train coloring pages. Meet the crew on the train conductor page, or wait for your ride at the train station.

Questions