Harmony On The Rail Part II

This being part two of my thoughts on train travel I would like to get into the view from the train and especially the difference from the view from a commercial air flight.

“Oh I love to drive and see the scenery.” I do too but I love looking out the window and watching it snow or rain. I know that the chances of a weather problem are less on the train. Yes they can happen but are less than driving or taking an airplane trip. Light snow in New Mexico just made the scene and no worry about slippery roads. In my youth I was on a trip on the Santa Fe Railroads Super Chief that was delayed because of a flooded track and bridge that was destroyed. It resulted in the train backing up for four hours to get to go around that section of track. As a child it was fun as an adult it would be frustrating. It could still happen today but I don’t think it is as likely to occur since Amtrak has access a more consolidated rail system that has more connections.

I understand that a Canadian company has a train that travels in the North West that is really designed for the traveler who wants to enjoy the scenery. They travel during the day and stop at night to use a hotel for sleeping arrangements. Historians does this remind you of early airline travel? It was not for the scenery but because they did not have the ability to fly at night. On an cross country air trip you will see some scenery on departure and arrival as you gain and loose altitude but for most of the trip it is just clouds if you do not just keep the shades down and sleep. The review I read had high praise for the train trip but was limited in it’s like of the hotel in the small town where they stopped. I will admit that I wonder what I’m missing at night. I should admit that I do try to see all of the small towns on the route even at night to see just how small they can be and still have a train station. The big cities are so similar that all you can do is look for those things that you expect to see. The ones that are unexpected in the small towns are the ones that are interesting.

A couple of examples are the rail museums that are in many small towns and the water towers in towns in the very flat middle part of the country. One final example is going through Orange County New York and seeing the building that houses Orange County Choppers from the TV show. Unfortunately I saw it when I did not have a camera ready. That is another reminder always keep your camera or camera phone handy on a train trip. You never know when you will want to take a picture in a hurry.

Remember that travel is always fun and if you just live the moment you will have a much more relaxed time. I even include air travel in this statement with the restrictions and limits placed on us when we have the least time. So go traveling and enjoy the scenery along the way.

Photo is us in Austin, Texas