I have limited experiences with trains...

[Archae]

In fact, I've only been on one.

A town near my Mom's place in northern Wisconsin, (Laona to be exact,) during the summer runs a steam train through the woods.

I took a ride on that, decades ago.

I'm watching a show on PBS I taped about train excursions around the US.

Some of them look just fabulous.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Trains are a great way to see the country, my dear Archae!

When I was about 8 years old, my parents, my brother and I moved west from Illinois to Washington state; we went by train.

We had 2 compartments: one for me and my brother and one for my parents. We ate in the dining car and watched the scenery slide by. It was alternatively amazing and boring!

I think it was a 3 day trip.

I would love to do that again.

[Demoiselle]

5. That sounds like heaven, CP!

I dragged my husband and two children onto a train when the kids were very young teenagers. We went from Philly's 30th Street Station to Chicago overnight. Had a luxurious lunch at Ed Debevic's (sp?) in Chicago, got on a train that afternoon and went all the way to Lamy, New Mexico. Spent some lovely time at a Dude ranch there. I love trains.

[elleng]

2. They are fabulous.

I watch that special whenever its on.

Trains are a BIG part of U.S. history, freight as well as passenger.

[hermetic]

3. Trains are my favorite

mode of travel.

Took Amtrak once from St. Paul to Wisconsin Dells. Sitting in the club car with all the windows, we went through eagle habitat and there were dozens of them, right up close. It was amazing.

I also traveled around France and Belgium by train. I sure wish we'd put more money into trains and tracks.

[mnhtnbb]

4. I LOVE train travel.

When I was a kid in the 50's and early 60's, my dad did not like to fly.
We would go by train from NJ to CA to visit my grandparents.
Rode the 20th Century Limited and Santa Fe Super Chief several times. What fun!

We've ridden Amtrak from NC to DC and to NY. Not great, thanks
to freight trains having the right of way for much of the track, but
still less hassle than flying.

European trains are really fun...and some of them are very fast.
We traveled by train last November from Vienna to Salzburg
at 220 km /hour.

We're going back to Europe in May and plan to ride the fast train (TGV)
from Aix-en-Provence to Paris. My oldest son and his friend are
going to be in Europe at the same time--our paths will cross in
two cities--and they are going to do all their travel between
cities on night trains because the friend doesn't like to fly. They will
have sleeping compartments.

[Tom_Foolery]

6. When I was a kid, my family traveled across the country via train several times..

It's over 40 years later; and whenever I get a whiff of diesel fumes, my mind goes back to those trips.

[malthaussen]

7. My mother hates flying, so she took AMTRAK to Florida once.

It derailed.

My father and I were big into model RRs. When I visited the UK I took the overnight express from Edinburgh to London on my last day, and used a Britrail pass to run around the island. But in the US, the only train travel I've done is the commuter line into Philly. Which is not fun at all.

-- Mal

[Jenoch]

8. My grandfather work for the railroad

for about 40 years. He was a carpenter and built boxcars for the Rock Island and later the Soo Line. My father worked for the Soo Line as a teenager. He was a fire starter. He had to climb into the cold fire box and scoop out the ashes before starting a new fire.

When I was about 8 years old he could see that much of the passenger rail was closing so we took a train from Omaha to Denver.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. It is absolutely amazing what folks like your grandpa went through in that industry in those days.

Edited to add; and your dad too!

I mentioned in another thread that 100 years ago, the industry that employed the most people in the US was the railroads, primarily because of the Steam Locomotive.

I just can not imagine being tasked with crawling into a cold firebox to light a locomotives boiler!

I talked to an old hand one time who worked as a fireman and I asked him if a locomotive was completely cold, how long would it take to fire it, heat it and get steam up enough to move it.

He said, depending on the type of boiler and how complex it was, anywhere from 2 to 6 hours!

"Hey Fred! Go start that locomotive and bring down here, OK?"

"Alright. See you later this afternoon!"

I saw this video of the Pennsylvania Rail Road's Altoona yards, where in it's heyday, 12,000 men would clock in for the day shift! The houses downwind were constantly covered in soot, not only from the locomotives, but the steam power plants that ran the machine shops, etc. The number of skilled trades needed to keep such an operation moving was just mind-boggling. They had their own forges and could make connecting rods right there, as well as virtually every other part needed for their locs.

This is what I'm talking about, for those not clear;



The long rod angled slightly downward connecting the steam cylinder to the wheels.

Utterly fascinating stuff.

[trof]

10. My great aunt Lucia worked for the AGS (Alabama Great Southern) railway

AGS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_Great_Southern_Railroad

She was an office worker in Birmingham, AL and, among other duties, issued passes on the railroad to employees and their eligible families.
So she knew all the crews.

She'd take me on a day trip from B'ham to Rising Fawn, GA and back.

We'd leave on a Saturday morning and have breakfast in the dining car.
The conductor would take me on a tour of the whole train from the caboose to the kitchen and the baggage cars all the way up to the locomotive,

I'd sit in the engineer's lap and 'drive' the train.
Blow the whistle!
I was in heaven.

We'd catch the southbound back to B'ham at the Rising Fawn station.
Lunch in the dining car.
White linen table cloths and napkins.
I always ordered the shrimp cocktail and chicken and dumplings.

[rurallib]

11. took an overnighter to Denver and back (@900 miles one way)

I loved what I saw while I was awake, missed most of Nebraska over night both ways.

Also took a train in Canada. Loved it. In both cases the seats were very comfy and roomy.

[whistler162]

12. That they are....

I have take trains

from NY state to LA, Sacramento, Seattle, Vancouver and then to Toronto, Toronto to Moosonee and then to Gaspe, Savannah GA., Boston and then to Portland Maine. That doesn't include tourists lines. Most where quite enjoyable.

[DebJ]

13. I just took a train from Baltimore Md to Greensboro, NC

It was only $77 each way, compared to airline fares of about $400-$500.
And guess what: the time it would have taken was just as long on the plane
as the train, by the time you get through airport security, etc.

People on the trains are very friendly; I love it!