Here we are again,on an Amtrak train headed out West; the California Zephyr. As I write, we’re nearing Omaha, Nebraska. If you’d read about or last trip in May ’08, your probably asking why would you take the train again? Despite the delays and headaches and exploding catenary, it’s still, to me anyway, the best way to travel. It truly is the only way to see this continent in a relaxing epic kind of way – you can really appreciate its immensity and its diverse geography once you’ve covered this kind of distance , close to the ground. Since, leaving Connecticut, I haven’t looked away from the window.
I’ve brought all manner of distraction with me, for the so called “long ride”. I’ve got a few books, my laptop, DVD’s to watch, a few new train magazines, my sketch book, my ipod…but I’ve been utterly captivated by the ever changing landscaping flying by.
In the last 36 hours I’ve seen the coves and inlets of the Long Island Sound, the massive Hell Gate Bridge in NY and the view it affords of my old neighborhoods in Queens; we even managed a 15 minute visit with a good friend who was able to get down to the track at Penn Station to say hello and goodbye. New Jersey and Delaware went by in an instant; a blur of refineries and turnpike traffic. A stop-over in D.C. offered a nice break. While I’d been to the platforms of Union Station several times, I’d never had the time to visit this well preserved, grand station.
After D.C., we plied through Harper’s Ferry, an amazing mountainside town, I’d never been to. Through the outskirts of Pittsburgh, dormant steel mills littered the land like the set of an apocalyptic film. We awoke in Chicago, with a five hour wait between trains and perfect weather. In that time I was able to see Millennium Park and Frank Gehry’s Pritzker building, as well as several new skyscrapers that had been built since our last visit. After a stroll along the Chicago River, we headed back to the station and boarded the Zephyr.
And the window has its grip on me – how couldn’t it? A BNSF freight zips by almost every 15 minutes. We pass through countless yards and witness switching of all manner of freight car. It’s a great opportunity to see all kinds of weathering and trackside details, invaluable research for my modern day layout, which my last train trip inspired. Grain elevators, dozens of them, zip by – and none of them look alike. All the while, I’ve been snapping pics and sketching details I can use on my layout or in some future kit. The landscape changes often, also inviting new ways to model scenery on my layout.
Did I mention the locomotives? Growling, roaring, belching smoke; they’re just awesome to watch – whether they’re crawling through a yard or racing by with a hundred cars trailing behind, they are no doubt impressive, massive and unstoppable. Even Amtrak’s P42 pulling this consist of Superliners. It’s near seamless shell is simple, almost boring – yet the fact that once its wheels start turning and horn starts screaming, it comes to life; it deserves recognition. On top of that all three of our trains have been on time. An Amtrak first for me!
Anyway, you get the idea. If you like trains, to any degree – as a casual hobby, or a true fanatic, consider your next trip by train. You won’t forget it.
I see some blaring headlights ahead on the track next to us…back to the window.
(the above pic: backing into Chicago's Union Station)
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