I remember the Phoebe Snow, the Capitol Limited, the Lake Cities, and the sound of the last steam passenger train on the Erie RR mainline... which my brother actually saw [I was in bed by that time].

The memories feel like something from another universe.

My parents and grandparents saw the Graf Zeppelin, too; but I'm not that old yet.

Trains loom large in my life these days, and I love it. My boys (1 and 3) are over the moon about trains, so we have started taking them to go on various train rides in our state and wherever we travel. They enjoy watching Thomas, of course (good trivia question: what do Ringo Starr, Alec Baldwin, and George Carlin have in common? Narrators on Thomas). But they really like it when I just pull up random Youtube clips of trains, train crossings, and 'how it's made' type of clips about trains (and other large vehicles).

Also, I experienced France mainly by train -- fast trains, beautiful old stations combined with modern additions and efficiency. It was a wonderful way to see the country, converse with locals, and play the puzzle games of schedules and locations.

So here's a question -- what happens when trains meet autos when the government insists that computers take over the driving of cars? We'll get the comfort of train travel, a la Minority Report, but lose the freedom to make decisions. It can't be everywhere, of course, but it will start in the cities and highways, probably with driverless trucks.

I can imagine how IP would feel...

Driverless car

Darpa winner

It's coming, probably sooner than we think it will.

May trains live on.

"You can hop on or off, but the train keeps going, and its power is both primeval and intelligently controlled." I like that. Perhaps Helk and Alfa have a good point.

One of my most unnerving habits (according to my wife) is pulling as close as possible to the guard bar when waiting first in line at a train crossing.

I don't do it to scare her. I just do it because I enjoy being that close to that much power moving that fast.

And if (as she insists) a derailment at that speed, at that intersection, would kill us...well, I can only assume it'd do the job just as thoroughly if we were another ten yards back.

Starting when I was about six and my sister ten, my parents would put us on a train, alone, to make the 700 mile trip from Ohio to Mississippi to spend the summer with relatives. Loved trains and travel ever since. If you haven’t done it, take a ride on Taggart Transcontinental. Nothing like it.