Conducting Speed
By Jeannine Patané • 2 December 2006

     Rolling along a track, mile by mile, we see the heart and muscle of each town that our train slips through. We see these trackside industries continuing to build towns since the iron horse made its first arrival, and the only acknowledgement that we passed by was a rumble in the night.
     The railroad carries a strong part of American history. From the narrow-gauged White Pass and Yukon Route to the New York-DC Acela Express, we have depended on the railroad to transport and build the country. For me, the attraction to ride a train across the United States was a natural draw. To fly from the East to West Coast may take less time, but riding a train gives an air of nostalgia and grace to the journey.
     Rail transport is filled with opportunities you don’t get with the airlines. There is a good deal of personal interaction, close-up views of the landscape and architecture, ample personal service and amenities, plenty of space to stretch and more personal time to write and read. These opportunities make the trip more than a mode of transport; the trip becomes an experience.
     The backbone to any experience is the people we meet and share the time with. We share stories, have good conversations and exchange information. The people you would meet on a train are as diverse as the reasons they chose to ride, but we all have one thing in common; we don’t need to fly or drive to get to our destination; we let the tracks link us, and the conductor chooses the speed to the rhythm.
     With a world that operates at amazing speed through technology, our trade-off is the loss of our interpersonal experiences. When we learn to adjust our speed at a different pace, we begin to take notice to our surroundings more. A long-distance train ride gives us the opportunity to connect to others and to discover more of the United States.