In the 19th century before cars, that’s how people grew up–riding a train (or a horse).
I feel fortunate to have grown up poor in the slums in the south Bronx. We didn’t have a car (or a phone for that matter). We traveled nearly everywhere by el, subway, PRR and NYC.
I’ll always treasure the memories and the good fortune I had growing up poor and riding the rails.
Rode a lot of trains over the years…ran a few too…
LC
There was just a recent book on Vancouver called “Vancouver’s Glory Years”
It was all about the times when the Trolly and Interurban system ruled Vancouver.
You could really go just about anywhere on public transit quickly and efficiently…
Of course then Cars started to make their appearance and everyone wanted the trolly’s off the road, and the interurbans were replaced with buses.
When I read the book I really got the impression that public tranist was actually more efficient and certainly more environmentally friendly than it is now.
Oh well, light rail seems to be making quite a come back in a number of cities recently.
History does tend to repeat itself, doesn’t it? [:)]
When I was between the ages of 5 and 12 I got to take many trips with my grandpa on the train. He works for the Canadian Pacific between Portage and Bensinville, I got to sty over with him in the hotel and every thing. Then we got caught and I havent been on since.
In fact, some people even grew up going to school on a train. In Ontario back in the 1920’s and 30’s, CP and CN ran “school trains” for the children of railroad workers who lived in remote areas away from any school. There were special passenger cars that a teacher lived on that would be dropped off on a siding in one of these areas for a week and the children would go there for school. The teacher would give the children all the homework for the next few weeks before the car was taken away and dropped off at another location. It went in a continuous cycle.
Had never heard of such…A novel idea to taming the Canadian Wilds I must admit.