Posted on 07/22/2010 6:10:01 AM PDT by Willie Green
WHITEFISH, Mont. — When I was 7, my mother took my three siblings and me on a train ride from my hometown of Brainerd to visit my grandmother, who lived in Staples. It was a 30-mile journey that took about 45 minutes.
The trip was faster and cheaper by car. (Gas was about 32 cents a gallon back then, and the train tickets were $2 or $3 for each of us). But Mom thought it would be a fun and educational experience. The trip was unremarkable, but the experience — complete with a conductor who hollered "all aboard!" just like they did in the movies — stuck with me.
That was the last time I'd ridden a train until a week ago Friday, when I helped chaperone a dozen high school kids from my church to a camp on Flathead Lake in Montana, near Glacier National Park.
This trip was just a tad longer than my first one. We spent 26 hours to Montana on board and 26 hours back to our departure point in Winona. And, unlike my childhood journey, we ate and slept on the train.
Now that many of the nation's rail lines have been ripped out, sold for scrap and replaced by bike trails and farmland, passenger trains are making a comeback. The Empire Builder, the Amtrak train we rode on than runs from Chicago to Vancouver, is regularly filled to near capacity, and Amtrak ridership has been steadily rising over the last decade.
In places all over the country, including Rochester, city and state leaders are lobbying for high-, medium- and regular speed passenger train lines to run through their cities.
It's pretty apparent that we gave up on rail transportation way too early in this country. It's still a safe, eco-friendly and relatively affordable way to travel — if you're lucky enough to have a destination that's along an Amtrak route.
After my journey I'm convinced that passenger rail travel has flying beat in nearly every category, but one — speed.
Some comparisons:
Leg room: There's about three times as much space between rows in coach cars on a train as there is on a plane, and the La-Z-Boy chair-like foot-rests are extremely comfy.
Freedom of movement: You will never hear a crew member aboard an Amtrak train tell you to remain seated until the captain turns off the seat belt sign. That's because there are no seat belts on Amtrak trains. That doesn't mean you won't be bounced around like a crated turkey on a semi. But you're free to move not only from one row to another or from your seat to the restroom, but also to the lounge car and the dining car, or most other passenger car on the train.
Restrooms: They're a little larger on Amtrak trains than they are on most airplanes. (You don't have to be a contortionist to change clothes in them.)
Customer service: The crews working our trains were friendly, courteous and professional.
The food: Yeah, it's overpriced. But there's a lot of variety. You can get anything from a bag of chips, pizza or a hot dog in the cafe to a $22 sirloin steak dinner in the dining car. If you're not in first class, you're lucky if you can score a bag of peanuts on an airplane these days.
Scenery: It's A-plus. The windows are wide, offering us breathtaking views of the mountains. We saw mule deer, bald eagles and a moose on our journey.
During the summer vacation season, Amtrak, in cooperation with the National Park Service, offers interpretive programs in the lounge cars on selected routes. Keith Bear, a Mandan Indian from the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, spoke and played a hand-made wooden flute during our ride home.
Security: There are no X-ray machines or grumpy TSA agents to get past at Amtrak stations. So, you don't have to worry about having your knitting needles, contact lens solution or toenail clippers confiscated. However, we did have two border patrol agents enter our car in Havre, Mont., and ask us if we were U.S. citizens. (I guess they were looking for nefarious Canadians?)
Yeah, it takes a whole lot longer to get places on Amtrak (the train travels at a maximum speed of about 65 miles per hour and makes brief stops every half hour or so). And Amtrak's overall on-time record is pretty spotty.
But it's a great travel option if time isn't an issue for you, and it allows you to avoid spending time at O'Hare Airport.
LOL!
Average gas cost for 1000 mile trip in 1965 (constant dollars) = $131.45.
But like I said, the biggest difference is that Americans are simply squeezing into smaller cars.
In 1965 most Baby Boomers were still living at home.
I myself turned 13 that year.
Average family size was larger than today.
And the average family car was also much larger and more spacious to accomodate the larger families.
Back then, a 1000 mile family trip on a newly constructed, uncongested Interstate could be made in comfort. (nobody had ever heard of "road rage" back then)
Nowadays, that same 1000 mile family trip on our congested highways in smaller, cramped vehicles would be a PITA.
BIG difference.
1000 / 32 mpg = 31.25 gallons
31.25 * 2.50 per gallon = $78.13.
That’s my fuel cost for a 1000 mile trip. And I can drive 75-80 mph all day, carry my rifle, sidearm, and cash with me. I can stop wherever I want. I can leave when I want to leave. I can take any detour I wish. And I don’t need to rent a vehicle at my destination city.
It’s obvious that people prefer freedom of travel to being shuffled into boxcars with windows to travel on a set (late) schedule to predetermined, unmovable destinations at an enormous cost.
When a Progressive/Marxist runs out of valid arguments, they pull the race card and call their opponent a bigot. They expect others to go on the defensive.
Willie hasn't figured out that this generally does not work here. Ask Willie for his opinion of Thomas Sowell.
I'm not sure that's true.
While cars are on average smaller, SUVs and minivans are a huge percentage of the fleet and almost did not exist 40 years ago. Few cars were even air conditioned back then.
I would contend a 1000 mile trip in today's average vehicle is much more physically comforbable than the same trip 40 years ago.
Traffic, you probably have a point. Particularly with regard to trucks.
While cars are on average smaller, SUVs and minivans are a huge percentage of the fleet and almost did not exist 40 years ago.
Behold the classic, full-size American STATION WAGON:
This one happens to be a '65~'68 Ford Country Squire.
As a full size station wagon it could carry 8 passengers: The front and rear bench seats could each accommodate 3 adults. Then the rear "cargo" compartment had fold down seats that could provide room for two more.
You don't see many station wagons today.
But they were THE suburban family car of the '50s and '60s before SUVs and minivans.
Neighbors had one. In those pre-seatbelt days at least 10 kids fit in the back.
Neighbors had one. In those pre-seatbelt days at least 10 kids fit in the back.Yeah.. with two of them, you could pretty much take the entire Little League team to the Dairy Queen after the game... and that included hauling all the bats, balls, gloves, helmets and substitute kids. LOL!
RE: your post 27. Thanks, SL. I linked to this thread from another so am kind of late to the party. After reading it, wanted to ask WG what the effect of inflation and wages was on the cost of a gallon of gasoline in the years since it was $.32/gal. You saved me the trouble, again, thanks. As someone upthread said, paraphrasing, rail is something urbanites want everyone else to pay for.
Can anything taste as sweet as Other People's Money (OPM)?
Of course, since we're intolerant of Willie's desire to steal our hard earned capital to fund his delusional train fetish, he thinks were bigots.
Hey Willie, aren't you gonna call us bigots? That's what liberals do when they can't argue the merits of the issue. Maybe you'll call theymakemesick a newby. After all, he signed up in '03 and you're part of the class of '98. You gotta admit, when you stoop to sign up dates to validate your argument, you're in pretty sad shape!
I rode from the West Coast to the Midwest and back three weeks ago, on the train. Had a sleeper. Loved it. Went to sleep with the sunset and woke up to see the sun come up the next morning. It was more pleasant than flying or driving. Good food, too. So much of life seems to be hurried...this is a step in a better direction.
After reading it, wanted to ask WG what the effect of inflation and wages was on the cost of a gallon of gasoline in the years since it was $.32/gal. You saved me the trouble, again, thanks.
You have that backwards.
Rising fuel costs have adversely affected the cost of most everything else in our society.
When gasoline cost 32¢ per gallon, we were living in an era when a single wage earner could raise a family of four in the suburbs, and still set aside enough savings for retirement and send the kids off to college.
Nowadays, it takes a multi-family income to achieve the same standard of living, and ironically, multi-vehicle families who consume more gasoline than the average family of the '60s.
As someone upthread said, paraphrasing, rail is something urbanites want everyone else to pay for.
Are you suggesting that urbanites don't pay taxes like the rest of us???
Millions of hardworking, taxpaying Americans from all walks of life use passenger rail systems to commute back-and-forth to work everyday.
I sincerely hope that you're not among the shameful bigots who utilize "urbanite" and other "code words" to conjure up negative stereotypes of inner city residents.
Jeez Wille, Alinsky's Rules for Radicals clearly states that the tactic that drags on is a drag.
Accusing real conservatives of bigotry and racism doesn't work anymore. Go peddle your guilt-trip elsewhere.
Accusing real conservatives of bigotry and racism doesn't work anymore. Go peddle your guilt-trip elsewhere.
If you think that JimRob is going to allow an obsessive/compulsive stalker like you to start posting articles from VDARE, you are sadly mistaken.
"VDARE?"
What the heck is "VDARE?"
Vocational Diagnosis and Assessment of Residual Employability?
Vodka Drinking Analysts Rethinking Entropy?
I've never posted anything that relates to that acronym, Willie. You got to help me out here; what exactly is "VDARE?"
Wait a minute, didn't Godzilla fight VDARE on "Monster Island?" Cheesy movies are no reason for falsely accusing fellow FReepers of Bigotry, Willie. You should know better than that; afterall, you've been on FR since it's birth. You've got no excuses and therefore should hold yourself to a higher standard. What kind of example are you setting for us newbies? For shame, Willie!
I got one it looks a little better than this one and it has a 505 big block Cadillac engine that is built to the gills runs like no other car I have ever owned only bad point is it gets less than4 miles to the gallon. Mine is a 2 door so a little more collectible.
What is the rusty top one is that a Hudson ? I love old cars doesn’t matter what make or model.
"VDARE?"
What the heck is "VDARE?"
Vocational Diagnosis and Assessment of Residual Employability?
Vodka Drinking Analysts Rethinking Entropy?
I've never posted anything that relates to that acronym,
Willie. You got to help me out here; what exactly is "VDARE?
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