I love trains. They're so cool. They're powerful and efficient and great settings for stories, both true and fictional. Some of my favorite moments biking along the Mississippi are times when there is a train running alongside us. The whistles, the chugga-chugga, the squealing on the tracks.
Yesterday, T and I were riding home on the Riverfront Trail. There was a train parked in the rail yard just to the west of the trail, and it was getting ready to leave. As the locomotive lurched forward against the weight of the loaded coal cars, the weirdly electric sound of the couplings tightening echoed down the yard. It was like a shock ran the length of the train. Ever so slowly, the wheels began to turn. Then, faster.
If you haven't heard it, I recommend finding yourself a rail yard. Then race the train on your bike.
I love trains, too, and the sounds they make. They're so comforting.
ReplyDeleteI loved your literary post!