A while ago, my dad has posited the idea of a train trip from Chicago to New Mexico. For him, the trip was largely driven by nostalgia; my grandfather had worked the rails for fifty-two years, and so Dad traveled the country by train.
It had been the glory days of rail travel. A cross-country train was the pinnacle of luxury; the dining cars presented michelin-quality food eaten with crystal and silver, and smartly-dressed porters and pages handled everything from luggage to martinis while the passengers simply enjoyed the trip.
Today, the idea of such a trip is at best a novelty; when I told some friends about our undertaking, the most common response was "why?"
And the trouble is, I didn't have an answer...At least not right away. I suppose I was mainly interested in QT with my dad. I'd been missing his companionship since we moved to Wisconsin. But the train trip as a good unto itself? I wasn't so sure.
Well, I'm here to tell you...now I am. I am officially sold on our railways as a means of worthwhile transportation, and over the next few weeks I'll do the best I can with my stories from the rails, to sell anyone who reads this as well.
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