Spring 2000
Volume 107 - No. 1

Furry friends teach kids about

Railway Safety

BLE member Andy Cappadocio uses a team of professionally hand-crafted puppets to teach children, and adults, about railroad safety. Front row, from left: Freddie the Fox, Roscoe Raccoon, Jocko the Rabbit, Penelope Porcupine, and Patti Possum. Middle row, from left: Officer Badger, Chucky Beaver and Percy the Pig. Finally, humans, from left: Mike Fitzpatrick and Andy Cappadocio.

BLE Division 528 (London, Ontario) member Andy Cappadocio, Canadian Pacific Railway Police Services Constable Mike Fitzpatrick, and a cast of furry characters worked to wow children while delivering an important railroad safety message last month at the Chandelier Center in Stoney Creek, Ontario. This was the debut of their rail safety puppet show and more performances are planned.

Cappadocio, a third generation railroader with 11 years of service, was concerned about the continual danger to children who trespass on railroad property because of their fascination with the trains. During his long hours running freight trains between Hamilton and Buffalo, he came up with an idea to reach young children before they become victims of railroad accidents.

Andy pieced together a story using characters based upon animals he had observed from the cab of his locomotive and with the help of professional puppeteer, Byron Morton of Images Puppets, had them created to his specifications. Artist Miranda McGuire painted the storyboards.

Unlike video presentations that sometimes fail to capture the attention of young children, live characters, such as Percy the Pig, Badger the Officer, Chucky the Beaver, Jocko the Rabbit, Penelope Porcupine, Patty Possum, Roscoe Raccoon and Freddy the Fox, hold the children's attention long enough to get the rail safety message across.

With the help of Fitzpatrick, the Hamilton Joint Health and Safety Committee, Canadian Pacific managers Scott Nelson and Terry Stitts and local municipal police forces in the Hamilton area, Brother Cappadocio presented the gala showing before a packed audience of 50 children on March 1 at the Chandelier Center.

The children at the Chandelier Center were enthralled by the show. An informal poll at the end showed that the message got through to both the parents and children in attendance.

"Brother Cappadocio's efforts are a classic example of what BLE members can do on their own accord to make railway safety a priority with children at an early age," said BLE Division 528 member David Hughes. "Andy and Constable Fitzpatrick financed the program out of their own pockets."

Since the initial showing, the team has been swamped with requests to perform at shopping malls and schools.

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