Mom calls out Nevada County train ride operator after family kicked off due to crying 2-year-old

NEVADA COUNTY — A mother is calling out the operator of a family-friendly Nevada County train ride for forcing her family off mid-ride because of her crying 2-year-old child.

That family was then forced to walk back to the station.

A photo shows 2-year-old Ryan and her aunt Inde Coggins aboard the train ride, just before a Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad conductor kicked them and Ryan’s 5- and 6-year-old siblings off the ride, all because little Ryan began crying on board.

“She said, ‘I’m scared,’ ” Ryan’s Aunt Inde Coggins said. “And the gentleman driving the train turned to me and said, ‘Shut her up or you’ll have to get her off.’ And a few minutes after that, he stopped the train and said, ‘Get out, get off.’ “

Coggins said she had to walk back to the train station with the children through a forested area she had never been to before.

“I was furious, really. There’s no other words for it,” Coggins said.

The children’s mother, Maya Carstensen, is now calling out the railroad museum for the experience and is seeking answers on how this could have happened.

“You don’t kick a 2-year-old off a train for crying,” Carstensen said. “So if you are rude to families and children and you ask 2-year-olds to leave your train and walk back to the station, your community needs to know about that so families can think twice about donating.”

Nevada County Narrow Gauge Director John Christensen issued a statement to the children’s mother that reads, in part:

“I’m very sorry to hear about your unhappy experience while riding on our railbus…At this time, we will be working this issue and will be getting back to you in a timely manner.”

The railroad has scheduled a board meeting for Tuesday.

“Maybe the train museum needs to put in some, I don’t know, some training for these volunteers,” Carstensen said. 

CBS13 did reach out to the museum director directly, and he said he would be investigating this incident.