Norwich — Even in the era of high-tech computer and video games, trains remain a magnet for attracting young children. The Norwich Lions Club hopes to use that incentive Saturday by offering free train rides for families who come downtown for free vision screenings.

Eyesight Express will combine the importance of eye screenings for young children with the lure of a train excursion along either the Thames River or the Shetucket River Saturday in downtown Norwich. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with free eye screenings at Otis Library, 261 Main St., and nearby Buckingham Memorial Building, 309 Main St.

The six-car Providence & Worcester excursion train will make runs from the former city downtown train station along the freight rail tracks hourly on the half-hour from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., alternating between rides southbound through the 1876 Laurel Hill tunnel and along the Thames River in Norwich Harbor and the northbound route along the Shetucket River through Greeneville.

“It will be a way of looking at Norwich in a way that most people don't get to see it,” Norwich Lions Club President Dale Plummer said. “I'm sure it will be the first train ride ever for a lot of these children.”

All children who receive the eye screening and their parents or guardians will receive free tickets to ride the excursion train. Others can purchase tickets for $10 in advance at several Norwich locations or Saturday at the event.

Although the nearly 30-minute train rides will be a big attraction, Plummer stressed the importance of the early childhood eye screenings. Norwich Lions Club members and volunteers from other Lions clubs and organizations will operate the four digital eye screening cameras at Otis and the Buckingham Memorial. Screenings will take only about two minutes, and no advanced registrations or appointments are necessary.

Plummer said the club hopes  Saturday to screen about 1,000 children. The digital cameras screen for seven different parameters. If issues are detected, a printout will be given to parents with a recommendation to see an eye doctor. The screenings mainly are targeting children ages 6 months to 6 years old, but screenings will be done for children up through high school ages, Plummer said.

“The machine takes the measurements and figures out if person should see an eye specialist,” Plummer said. “It's not a substitute for a doctor's visit, but it can alert you that you need to see an eye doctor.”

Along with the eye screenings, free dental screenings will be offered Saturday by United Community and Family Services. Otis Library will host train-theme story hour, face painting and a raffle for a “Thomas the Tank Engine” book. Norwich Rotary will offer free Amber alert registrations.

Plummer knows the value of early eye exams for young children. His father was blind in his left eye from a childhood condition similar to lazy eye that was treatable with surgery even in the 1920s, he said, but the condition was not detected until too late.

c.bessette@theday.com

Norwich Lions Club Eye Express: Free eye screenings for children and free train rides for all children screened and their parents. General public train rides for $10 per person.

Saturday, April 23: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Otis Library, 261 Main St. and Buckingham Memorial, 309 Main St., Norwich.

Advance tickets available at Norwichtown Shell, 168 W. Town St., and the following banks in Norwich: Eastern Savings Bank, Liberty Bank, Savings Institute, Putnam Bank, Chelsea-Groton, and Core Plus Credit Union and Charter Oak Credit Union. Tickets also available at the gate Saturday.

Parking: free in nearby parking lots and on-street. Do not park in the Viaduct lot, as there will be no access across the railroad tracks to the screening sites and train embarking point.

For additional information about the Norwich Lions Club or the Eyesight Express, visit, http://norwichlionsclubinc.com, or call (860) 237-4330.