Now All I Need Is A Train.

I love trains -- I always have. When I was a kid (back in the days of elegant train travel, circa 1940s)) my grandmother used to go visit relatives and we'd get to take her to the train station. She always dressed up, with a hat and gloves, and there were porters to take her luggage and help her on the train. On a few occasions I got to travel with her and I suppose that's why I remember them fondly. Today's trains aren't the same -- they're no fun at all. I wish leisurely, elegant train travel would come back but I doubt that it will since we all have to get where we're going faster than trains can accommodate.

My very favorite train ride was on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway which runs from Oxenhope to Haworth to Keighley, England. It's a beautifully restored steam train straight out of yesterday and I loved every minute of the ride. I especially loved the fact that it hadn't been spoiled by a lot of restrictive rules and regulations to protect the company from lawsuits. I suspect if you were stupid enough to stick your arm out the window, which you could do if you wanted, and it got whacked off by a signal post, it would be considered your own fault. I loved that the steam swirled by the window as the train clacked along and you could close your eyes and pretend a lot of things, and I especially loved that it passed through some of the most beautiful country in the world. I swear I'm going to get back there for another ride (or two or three) so I'm hoping it's still the same. Some things should never change.