Trains

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Write about a train. Did you ever travel by train? If not, what do you think it would feel like? Write about a character who’s traveling by train if you prefer. For all the Rise and Write prompts use the link.

What is not to love about a train?  Passenger trains taking families cross country to visit relatives, complete with dining cars for snacking are my favorites.You can stretch your legs going from car to car, an exhilarating feeling.  Commuter trains taking suburban city workers from their  bedroom communities into the crowded city, and back home again. I picture men in business suits with a newspaper under their arm, and women sporting up do's with their hair and high heels, straight out of Mad Men. The subways and light rail trains are a wonder to me. I wrote a post about them on my other blog These were my mode of transportation when I used to travel to Washington DC for work on a regular basis and how we got around, and never lost, on a London vacation.  We now have light rail in my community, though it isn't expansive enough to work for my needs. Though inconvenient when you get stopped at a crossing, the cargo trains, moving freight from each end of a train track, brings out the kid in me.  I can't help but find myself counting the cars.  As children, and with my own, we would try and guess how long the train would be. On highways that run parallel to a train track, I  still like "racing" a train in my car.

Besides the work trips however, trains have not been a regular part of my travel experience. Perhaps this is part of my appreciation. I might get tired of all the stops if I was taking a light rail daily to work, or had to travel for days to reach my destination as opposed to hours by plane. I'm drawn to train's in movies and books. The movie and television shows that are inspired by the book  Murder on the Orient Express, regardless of how camp they are, become a must see.  Did anyone see the Doctor Who, episode  with the mummy on the space age train?  Yeah, I loved that one. A favorite book, The Train Home, by Susan Shreve, has been read at least 1/2 dozen times, and on a train in fact. I intentionally packed it for a business trip as it seemed fitting. Then there are the action adventure movies with the chase scenes on top of the train, always a train tunnel involved. Ridiculous, yes, but fun to watch, I can't not mention one of my favorite movies, The Station Agent, and learning about "walking the rails". Now that I have trains on the brain, driving to work in my Chevy Malibu is going to be a let down this morning.