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There was a great Home Forum essay in the Christian Science Monitor of Oct 31. See it here: These delays were worth the wait
I believe Monitor articles are free for 7 days, then they charge for access.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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And the people all say "Amen". This article certainly captures a part of the magic of train travel. I confess I am a converted "Type A" personality. Retirement years (and the passing of several co-workers/friends) have taught me, far too late in life, to slow down, pause and enjoy the ride/view. Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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Long Distance rail travel is not for everyone; Type A's had best not apply.
A review of this article reminds me of my Father on a Glenwood Springs to Oakland California Zephyr trip during 1963: "you mean this doesn't get there until tomorrow AFTERNOON?,..... "Now Gil, I don't think you were completly honest about this ..... "now Fred, Dr. Derkash said you must learn to relax'.....'Alice, I AM PERFECTLY RELAXED".
Now why did I manage to keep my distance from Cpt B, Car CZ-16 during the journey?
Considering this incident (and many others off the rails), I recently recommended to an inquirer over at another board that he not consider LD rail. He was mostly concerned about the absence of power outlets at seats, and that he would "have to get things done' while en-route.
Needless to say, my Father "jumped ship' for the return.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Yes, there are worse situations to find yourself in than sitting on a motionless train with a view of the Pacific or (my personal choice) a dying Rust Belt city filled with decaying Victorian houses and old abandoned factories.
But most delays aren't quite so scenic.
What truly separates the men from the boys? Finding yourself stuck on a hot, crowded, going-nowhere train, with nothing more interesting to stare at than a rotten fence post or a thicket of half-dead trees and poison ivy.
I agree that rail travel is a Type B activity (although some of the most rabid Type A personalities I've met have been Amtrak crew members). Pushed far enough, though, even the most laid-back passenger will eventually reach a personal tipping point -- a moment when a train trip will suddenly shift from sheer bliss to serious drag.
For some, it happens when the air conditioning dies. For others, it begins when the toilets start to reek. Or when a normally bearable seven hour trip in a crowded Amfleet coach somehow stretches into hour fourteen. Or when a Sleeper Attendant knocks on their roomette door, at 4 a.m., to announce they're about to be bustituted to California.
For me, the shine typically wears off the moment I hit my 10th hour of riding in coach. On coast-to-coast sleeper trips, I find I'm excited, focused, and much more tolerant toward delays and lousy service during the outbound journey. On the return leg, I usually feel sluggish, more impatient, and far less forgiving of Amtrak's shortcomings. By that point, I just want to get home.
Regardless of how much of a buzz you get from rail travel, my guess is that every member of this forum is perfectly capable of muttering "I knew I should have taken the plane" once things begin to go seriously south.
Under extreme conditions, there's a little bit of Type A in all of us.
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