Orphan train problems So-called “train children” were frequently bullied and ostracized in their new communities. Some were rejected and never found a home. Others were mistreated by adoptive families or misused as free farm labor, leading to many instances of runaways.

On Sunday April 25, 2021 Beatrice Flanagan Polak Fojtik will celebrate a century of life at the Arbor Hills Healthcare Center in Eagle Lake, Texas with her children at her side. Beatrice' life is of national significance, as she is the last known living Orphan Train Rider in the US.

Other organizations quickly adopted Brace's system, and for nearly 80 years, children migrated across the country to find new homes. Finally, in 1929, amidst growing objections and changing welfare systems, the orphan train movement came to an end. FAQs – All your basic questions, answered!

Another shift that led to the end of the orphan train movement were changing ideas about welfare. Programs providing financial support to families, increased daycare opportunities, and tenement reforms became more popular, and aimed to keep children with their birth families as often as possible.