Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway
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By Michele Reeves ou don’t need to be a Sheldon Cooper to be a train enthusiast. Plus, most of us don’t have the time and brain power to completely understand the mechanics of trains and how they run. I would much rather read an organic chemistry textbook than try to understand trains from engine-to-caboose or try to figure out the difference between a 0-40Ts and a 4-8-8-4. Most importantly, you have to know to call trains by their correct operational type; you would never call a freight train a locomotive or vice versa! So, is a Galloping Goose a light rail train or not? The point is that you do not need to know anything about trains to enjoy them. Trains bring out the kid in all of us. I get excited whenever I see a train unexpectedly, particularly in places I had not noticed any rail tracks. We never think about trains unless we hear the sound of an approaching train or hear the loud noise when trains are adding cars in the railyard or the blaring of the horn at crossings at 2 o’clock in the morning or the good old sound of clickety-clack. Not to mention that trains are the only form of transportation in which seat belts are not needed or required. I have been on my fair share of trains and spent many hours in trains 12
November 2018
stations, and I would not mind being on one right now. Riding a train, even the Disneyland Express, is truly a unique experience. The trains in England are of two types, according to this enthusiast, those that run above ground and those that run underground or “The Tube.” In a country that is comparable to the size of New Mexico, trains in England are the best form of transportation. Departure times were always exact, but arrival times were more likely not to be on-time, mainly because strange things can happen along the way, like passenger-turned-streaker just outside of Bath, England. During that same summer, the train I took to Amsterdam arrived at the most beautiful, art-inspired station I have ever seen. Being in the land of Rembrandt, a station without artwork would have been odd. However, my most interesting train experience would have to be the ride from Latvia to Minsk, Belarus. The train was vintage; its seats were like school bus seats, including the green color, and they sold minced meat in small snack-sized cans with crackers. At first, I thought it was caviar, but an up-close glance and a quick whiff told me it was not. My adventurous, hungry side purchased one anyway and found out that you needed an equally adventurous stomach and palate for this snack, kind of like with sushi. Speaking of sushi, no train story could be complete without the mention of the Japanese Shinkansen—the bullet train. The Shinkansen is on the bucket list for every train enthusiast—and yes, still no need for seat belts! The bullet
