caretaker

For some, enjoying the journey is enough. I lived in a railway station for my first 9 years, rode the train everywhere, so it was just an integral part of life.
One thing I thought was a bit of a kick was riding up on the front of a locomotive. In my 20's I spent a week once putting out slag fires left by the Frank Speno Rail Grinding outfit, and when we moved locations I could stand right over the front and see the track disappearing beneath me at a great rate as the deck pitched rhythmically, like on waves. The movie Titanic was decades in the future or I probably would have spread my arms.

Lion in Winter

I like the connectivity. Slower journey, particularly when it's a train with stops so different people get on and off at various stages. It joins people in a way that planes, with their wormhole like experience, do not. Last really good train journey I had was when Heathrow was closed by snow and the Little Lion and I were landed in Dublin one Christmas. There was no sign of planes taking off again, so we took the ferry over to Holyhead, and despite major disruption on train lines we made our way by way of three trains and the underground down to Winchester, where we were headed. The first train was a local one to Chester, full to the brim with people trying to get home and local people, all asking each other if the train went to such and such a place and Wales covered with snow outside the window. Then endlessly helpful people at Chester, finding connections for people, and eventually the headlight of a Virgin train to Euston coming into view like a lifeboat, while passengers huddled together in the dark and cold on Chester's platform. One man gave a woman his coat because she wasn't adequately dressed. We got on, and I went to get the Little Lion something to eat since we hadn't had anything in a while and it was now supper time. I hadn't had the opportunity to withdraw any sterling cash yet, and for some reason the train couldn't take cards. I had enough money for two sandwiches only, so the guy just threw in two drinks and two Mars bars and two packets of crisps and I took this haul back to our seats. The guard came by and looked up the train connections and schedules and confirmed the best way to get to Winchester for us. It was real travel, with none of the aggression that delays at airports always seems to cause. We didn't get to Winchester until midnight, but we felt as though we had been on an epic trip

Pulaski

He has been assimilated.

scrubbedexpat142

First real train journey - 1970, age 16, Ostend - Munich - Salzburg - Belgrade - Salonika.
Return was Ancona - Milan - Strasbourg - Calais.

Really captured my imagination!

scrubbedexpat091

I have no real idea where my fascination with trains came from, I assume though it was from all our road trips across the US Southwest and seeing all those big trains, but I liked trains before I liked planes, and now I like both, when I was a kid/teen all I wanted to be was a train engineer.

I like the bells and horns, and sound though, I could sit an watch trains all day.

One thing I wish Canada had more of is passenger rail, Ontario and Quebec corridor it's easy to hop on a train for a day trip, but its not possible in Western Canada.

Sleeping on a train is some of the best sleep I ever got, weird considering I was not in a sleeper car but coach, but was so easy to sleep.

I've only taken 2 longish train trips, Toronto to Vancouver on Via 7 or 8 years ago, and Sacramento to San Diego on Amtrak, other then that just short trips on Amtrak San Diego to LA or vice versa and a couple times on Via between points along the corridor route.

ddsrph

Most of my train travel was from a British rail pass while in college. Later some travel in Japan and Korea and one day each in Australia and Majorca Never rode a train at home here is US. I would like to see more US use of passenger rail but not likely. I have been thinking about a long Amtrak trip in near future.

Giantaxe

I did 44 hours Omaha - Oakland a few years ago. I quite enjoyed it, despite the interminable delays. But if you want European quality rail travel, the US is definitely not going to give it you. The year after I travelled around Japan by train - light years ahead of both the US and most of Europe.

caretaker

Mexico City to Salina Cruz in 1975 meant cramped quarters, a company of soldiers for protection from Communist guerillas (who actually shared our compartment, which was the waiting room for the women's toilet), and an unexpected overnight stay in Medias Aguas. The price was reasonable. I met an American travelling light, carrying only a shoulder bag with a change of socks and underwear and a book called Mushrooms of the World or something similar. I asked how long he'd been down in the jungle, and he guessed 7 or 8 months, wasn't sure. When I pointed out that it was mandatory to exit and re-enter the country every 6 months to renew his tourist card, the train was just slowing down for a curve. He said "I heard there were really good mushrooms in this part of the jungle." and jumped out of the vestibule and ran across the field and disappeared into the bush. Might still be down there for all I know.

scot47

I planned a US train trip from NYC to Santa Fe on Amtrak. It was not to be. If I am reincarnated as an American, maybe.

Or maybe this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Chief

caretaker

The Texas Eagle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSK18G55xP4

scrubbedexpat091

In the US and Canada it's best to consider the train as an experience and not a timely way to get around at least with the long haul trains, select routes can run pretty timely, but the long haul's trains not so much.

When I took Via Toronto to Vancouver, we left 4 or 5 hours late, and it snowballed from them, I think in the end we were over 12 hours late into Vancouver, but I didn't mind, only part of the trip that was not pleasent was when the train had heater issues, this was in January and it was - 13 F and those passenger cars got a little chilly in the 90 minutes it took the crew to get the heat back up and running.

But overall a pleasent trip.

rpjs

I read the online magazine Railway Herald.

I'm not sure the fact that the HSTs are ~40 years old is that big a factor. They're BR Mk III coaching stock, which represented a step-change in crashworthiness compared to previous stock. I dare say that there have been many incremental improvements since, but they probably won't have made much difference in the case of this accident.

Giantaxe

What amused me was the lateness even though large buffers - pun intended - were built into the schedule at various places.

Lion in Winter

One of these days I want to ride the City of New Orleans, just because of the song. It's a real train.

ddsrph

[QUOTE=Lion in Winter;12896955]One of these days I want to ride the City of New Orleans, just because of the song. It's a real train.

[/QUOTE

Thats one of my favorite songs.