Locomotive Travel
I
personally believe that the United States could benefit from a universal
commuter high-speed rail system linking the country. This is because of the
personal relationship I have with trains dating back to my early childhood. I
feel that this should be accomplished through a federal partnership with foreign
experts aiding American locomotive engineers. This would, hypothetically, be
undertaken by labor brought in from foreign countries with pay and citizenship
given in exchange for their hard labor. This high-speed rail network would be
electric powered, liquidating carbon emissions, and leaving the only step left
in complete carbon free grid to the electric production system. That being said
I have an intimate relationship with trains that has been carefully built over
time.
Ever since I was a kid I have had a
fondness for locomotives. I spent my childhood days playing with Thomas the
Tank Engine sets and building my own personal rail network. I would be a
regular patron of the St. Paul train shop where I gazed with wonder upon the
model trains traveling in endless loops through meticulously designed sets. I
eventually moved towards building projects with Legos, where I would build vast
cityscapes interconnected with rail transportation.
As I grew older I would go on a series of train trips enhancing my enthusiasm for travel via locomotive. The first time I took a train was to visit my family in Michigan; going from Champaign to Chicago, then I went from Chicago to St. Joseph, Michigan. I admire train travel as it gives you an uncensored view of the world, allowing you to see everything from pristine countryside with mountains looming on the horizon to seeing polluted waters with polluted overgrown land. The fascinating thing about traveling from Champaign to St. Joseph was the juxtaposition of opulent lakeside homes to overgrown and abandoned homes in central Illinois. I believe that even a short trip along America’s rail network is a great way to experience what every state has to offer while simultaneously being able to view their greatest drawbacks.
That
being said I have recently embarked on a personal locomotive based expedition through
the west. After seeing the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago, at the beginning
of my 2019 spring break, I embarked on my journey to the west on arguably the
best Amtrak route, the California Zephyr. Over the course of my journey I was
able to see landscapes ranging from calm farmland in the Midwest, expansive
pastures of the high plains, impressive mountains cut by meandering rivers, and
ice covered hills battered by icy winds. Seeing the states pass by your eyes
gives you a very special point of view, as from a train you are able to see
some of the most beautiful scenes the Rocky Mountains have to offer in stark contrast
to baron plains dotted by secure satellite dishes leading to impressive high
rises of Nevada. This all changed when the train entered Northern California
and immense forests were dotted by quaint villages with solar panel covered
roofs. Looking back, simply taking the train gives an Amtrak patron a concise synopsis
of each state. This speaks for each states natural beauty, economic state, and
what problems are faced, such as pollution or water scarcity. This could be
experienced by infinitely more people if there was more investment in the states
rail system. If a high speed train were set up from New York to Los Angeles it
could change a 42 hour drive to a mere 13 hour train ride across some of the
most beautiful scenery present in the United States.
I like how you describe your love for trains through multiple past experiences and your learning experiences of them. Your introduction was good hook for me because your proposition of a new travel system was very innovative. You intertwined you proposition with your love for these locomotives which was very strong.
ReplyDeleteYour description of your trip across the US over spring break was absolutely stunning, I liked that. I think as a nation we have a lot to do to promote means of transportation other than by car. I am in full support of more train routes and tracks.
ReplyDeleteI like your description of your travels on trains. I would love to take a train trip across the US. I agree that train trips are the best way to see the best, (and worst) of places. I think that train travel is vastly overlooked compared to flying or driving, but agree that increasing speed and decreasing travel times would give more appeal to people.
ReplyDeleteI love how you narrate your transcontinental trip on the California Zephyr! Trains are such an ecologically smart option, and we should definitely have a better railway system in America. When I visited Germany, all the trains were very speedy and efficient across the entire country. It's too bad that the trains here are usually late and don't go much faster than cars. I think we should replace the slow Carbondale - Chicago line with a new zooming electric train!
ReplyDeleteI really thought it was interesting how one of you childhood fascinations shaped your idea of the ideal transportation system. I agree that it would be really nice to have a really fast train system in America. A disadvantage in living in Urbana-Champaign is that it takes a while to get anywhere interesting from here; the closest cool place around here is Chicago, and that's still ~3 hours from here.
ReplyDeleteTrains are so sick I actually couldn't agree more. Cities with trains and buses would be much easier to navigate and would have less traffic and would also be prettier. One main appeal of train travel for me is being unburdened by a car, you don't need to worry about putting a car anywhere if you took a train.
ReplyDeleteI agree, we would all benefit from electrifying our railway system. It would not only shorten travel times, but would also increase the appeal for utilizing our vast railway infrastructure. Owning the 2nd largest railway network in the world (only trailing the EU), we rank just 33rd in passenger miles traveled per year (Wikipedia). Having traveled more miles on trains than by car, I can attest to the fact that commuter railways are more comfortable, time-saving, and price-efficient when compared to their four-wheel counterparts. Although such an overhaul of our current system will take decades to fully realize, I concur that investing in an electrified railway system will be for our better.
ReplyDeleteIn my most humble opinion, the U.S. is severely missing out with regards to commercial train lines. In general, we've got some pretty crappy public transportation. Part of that is just space -- towns in Europe are generally smaller, more navigable, and more easily walkable than American towns. But American towns are built for driving, so we're all forced to buy cars. And then we choose to drive ourselves across the entire country?? You're absolutely right, we need a train system. It would be significantly more efficient and probably do some cool things like cut carbon emissions or be cheaper overall for people to use.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be sick to have the U.S completely run on trains? like you get everywhere super fast, for example you can zoom down to chicago in like 20mins or something on an electric train and then get back on time for class. I grew up on watching anime and cartoons and often these cartoons depict train having these luxury car and I always wanted to try one. The first time I rode one though it was stink of pee and the seat were dirty. Id paid hundreds just to take trip across the country in a luxury train. It would be nice.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your love for trains conveyed in this blog post. I share much the same love, I think I remember my brothers birth by the fact that I was playing on a wooden Thomas the tank engine set. Or when I would build lego trains and watch them go circles around a track. Or I think my latest most memorable experience was riding a train from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, watching thin pine peaks whizz by. I think partly, it might have been influenced by Soviet cartoons who had many runaway/castaway characters. And most notably а very well known song: https://youtu.be/Gl1_uGW_Teo
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