Choo Choooo

All this national talk about jumpstarting the economy with bailout money, public-works programs, etc., and not one word about . . . trains! I've been waiting for decades to hear some politicians promote the idea of expansion of trains. For U.S. travel, what's wrong with more trains? Airplanes and aiports have become too expensive, unreliable, frustrating, and even dangerous to use compared to the past. Buses are seldom needed by anyone---everyone and his brother has a car now, and highways are congested with slow-moving vehicles. Ships are useless for travel around our country. The answer is trains. Build and rebuild thousands of miles of train tracks. Why not have elevated tracks running parallel to our interstate highways, peppered with sleek, jet-type modern trains racing at 100 to 200 miles per hour between cities? Europe, even though smaller and more crowded than some parts of the U.S., thrives on trains. Trains, doggone it, are the answer! "Ride the (Drowned) City of New Orleans!" would be one track's slogan. "Ride the Big (Rotten) Apple Unlimited!" could be another; "Ride the Windy (Frozen) City Special!" yet another.

I'll now show you my train-and-tracks set which I've had since I was 9. I still can sit atop the engine and the first few cars, and go round and round the track. Here, let's see . . . goes like this . . . er . . .
just tuck in my legs like this . . . one moment . . . oh, rats . . .

-Old Gargoyle