As a kid, I remember hearing the sound of the train in the distance. The train would blow it's horn and I could hear the clickity clack of the wheels as they ran over the tracks. I wanted to know who was riding in the passenger cars and where were they going. Sometimes, if we were close to the tracks when a train would come by, the engineer would wave as they passed us. Back then, there were conductors on the trains as well, so I'd get a second wave as the caboose passed as well.
I heard the trains in the distance tonight and for some reason, those old memories came back. I know that almost all of the trains these days are carrying goods for delivery in some distant place. But every now and then I know one of the trains is a passenger train. I still wonder where the people are going and who they are. And it makes me almost wish the slower days of the past could come back. I think we all could learn from sitting on a passenger train for a few hours, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, to contemplate the scenery and to just be.
