10 Reasons Why We Love Trains

Maybe it is the sound, lullaby, sway, clickity clack, like a baby being rocked.  Or the views, through the back yard of America.   Through fields of flowers, along mountain tops, through carved tunnels of massive rocks, over bridges, rivers and along the sea, train keeps a rolling all night long, saying listen to the breeze, listen to the trees that flash by.  The sounds of the cities are far away, cause we don’t get all that close to them.  Industrial institutions maybe, where lots of tracks intersect, dropping off cars, and animals and machinery.
 
 Or the lonesome far away sound of the whistle blowing when it is coming close to the tracks.  Stand back, peoples, stand back, hear me coming, choo, chooing down the tracks.  Tracks made of steel, wheels made of steel, metal upon metal, rails from east to west, north to south, all around.  Wonder how long it would take to go through all the states.  So many stops along the way.  Major cities, stop at, lots of little towns, if it’s too darn small the train goes by but doesn’t stop, just slows down, unless it is a freighter bringing feed, or other products that we need.

The stations themselves are such luxury.  Focus on one category, you’ve written about this before.  What is it about the trains, I so adore?
This history, the way they are made, the stations all quiet, beautiful marble laid out, or the little pit stop next to the bus stations, don’t carry much clout, yet they are important to have about.  
Up in the far away mountains the sound of them echos through the snow, getting a chance to look out the window, is breath taking, seeing nothing but trees covered with blobs of snow, knowing there is warm sunshine down below, when the valley again comes into view.  Back country, trains love it.  Back of the store, back of the alley, back of the city, out in the country, behind your house, or along side of it, like a place we lived once.  The house had to be there before the tracks cause it was so darn close.  We could feel it rumbling from behind the hill, running late at 11:00 at night, we’d feel the room start to shake, then see the bright glow at the headlight lit up the room, like lightning, then a soft whistle blow, and the s whoosh, clickity clack, rumble, rumble, shake shake, then everything was eerily quiet again.

It is way fun to go between the box cars when the train is clicking down the tracks, yes they make them pretty safe with these accordion type enclosures connecting the cars, all ya really see is the metal connecting platforms, there is some excitement in that, knowing that is where the cars are connected, and being thankful for the people who know what they are doing to make sure the cars stay hooked together, no matter how many there are, or curves around the track.

You go through these big doors first, kind of like an elevator that goes swoosh, then a little landing, some with windows in them to catch some private views and time completely to yourself with the train, then the other little doors open up real quick and you clank across the metal through the next little doors, and catch a surprise of a totally different type of car with food and music and a bar, or just another one like you just past, with seats of sleeping people, or ones reading, watching tv.
It’s really fun, if it’s a long one, cause ya can’t get lost, one end is the caboose, the other is the engine, neither of those rooms you can enter, but you can get real
close, to the sights and sounds and wonder of the guy running the thing.

Maybe that would be the way to go for our anniversary present.  How long and how much money would it take to go to Arizona by train?  I’ll have to look into that.
It sounds exciting.  Probably the quickest way wouldn’t be the coastal route I love and miss so much, but it would be kinda cool to go through the sparkling lights of Las Vegas and other big cities nestled in the desert.

It would totally be the only way I’d want to go to Colorado.  I told my husband once I didn’t remember why I’d love to see there so much.  Now that I am reading Mary SUmmer Rain’s books again, I know why, that is where she lived.  She described it so beautifully, I have always wanted to see it.  Well, thanks to the internet and maps and stuff, I can.  It would be cool to go over the rockies on a train for sure.

Some dining cars are quite elaborate, with fancy glass and silverware, serving fancy food, and cloth napkins.  Comfy little booths you sometimes have to share, better to eat off hours if you like it quiet when you eat, sometimes, you can’t find a seat.
I have never slept in a bedroom on one, love looking over the tiny spaces, and wonder how people do it.  I surely would be getting one if I traveled all the way from west to east in one trip, or now a days even down the coast?  No, that only takes a day or two at the most, I can still sleep pretty comfortably in the seat.  Yet, it would be pretty nice, and a special treat.

Domed ceilings, artifacts, things to read, stuff to eat.  Sometimes you have to wait awhile for the next seat.  Gotta wait for the others to get off.  Gotta wait for the luggage to be brought.  Gotta make sure your tickets are bought.  
Maybe it was them fine outstanding city ladies, who you’d see all dressed up sharp in them old westerns.  Coming out to the frontier they still had to be in style.  Fancy box cars loaded with velvet and ribbon, the finest china, downy pillows, comfy blankets, can’t let these high society women of the east travel in anything less.
The fancy men wanted the luxury, no less, gave them time to rest between meetings, visit with others at various seatings.  Have breakfast meetings.

Not as pretty, or fancy, or comfortable as ones use to be.  Too much plastic now, not as many big windows, ones that go just to industries are hot and crabby, especially if something happens to another train along the tracks destination.  Then you’re stuck, without any explanation.  What?  Can’t even go outside?  We’d hear ya say, “All Aboard.”  Well put on a show or something, or play some music, or move to where we have a better view than just this stupid sign blocking everything.  At least tell us what is happening.  It is the middle of the day, a bright and fun time to be rejoicing, not huddled in a bunch of box cars like a herd of animals.  Put in more sky lights, and make windows that open, so we can breathe the fresh air when you make us have to stop for hours like that.