Go by Train

This was originally delivered as a speech at the January 7, 2016 meeting of the Mountaineer Toastmasters to satisfy Competant Communicator, Project #4: How to Say It.

Think about the phrase go by train. Does it elicit dusty images of the old west? Streamlined stainless-steel retro visions of the future? Cavernous marble and mahogany train stations? The construction of an industrial superpower? Or what about a peaceful trip with a glass of blackberry wine across the Midwest? The reality is, a trip on Amtrak’s Empire Builder is all of this and more.

Credit: Amtrak

The Empire Builder takes its name from a Great Northern Railroad route dating back to 1929. It travels from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, via the most northern states in the continental United States, providing essential transportation to areas sparsely populated.

Leaving Chicago, going west is a delicate choreography requiring perfect understanding of the behavior of other trains and each of the multitude of tracks. It is amazing to think that something so complex occurs daily on this train, and hundreds more times with other Amtrak, Metra, and freight trains.

Quickly, the steely density of Chicago and Milwaukee give way to a speckling of pristine lakes, where the hearty denizens of Wisconsin brave the icy winds for a late autumn catch. The gentle waves of the lakes delicately carry the final light of day on their backs.

Even though dusk is a distant memory, the Mississippi River is impossible to miss as it guides the train toward the Twin Cities. The broad river shimmers beneath the light of cars, trucks, trains, and towns. At points it seems as if the whole world beyond the train is the broad, commanding river.

Minnesota gives way to North Dakota and dawn breaks over Minot. Those who ate breakfast in the dark emerge to watch sunrise and smoke cigarettes from the icy platform as the train lets the schedule catch up. Some even hustle into the train station to stretch, warm up, or simply even to use a more spacious restroom.

Speeding west toward Montana, the train follows U.S. Route 2, where passengers wave at the hearty roughnecks driving to the oil rigs of the Bakken. The foothills of the Rocky Mountains emerge slowly, gently pulling away the light of day, casting lavender hues on the final glimpse of the plains. A smoke break shortly after dark in Whitefish reveals that you’ve arrived in the mountains. For the remainder of the evening it seems as if the train is never moving straight or level.

Through the night the Rockies give way to the less dramatic but snowier Cascades, half of the train split away to travel to Portland, and you failed to acknowledge the hour or so you spent in Idaho. Dawn is breaking as you descend toward the sea, have conquered the treacherous Stevens Pass.

Too suddenly you’re looking at salt water. The Everett Naval Yard. Two days of peace and tranquility feel insufficient for me, others were excited to go home, go shopping, or get going on the next adventure. If Pete, my car attendant, had not been sufficiently firm, I’d have tried to bargain with the conductor to head back to Chicago to replay the views in reverse.

It took three relaxing days to travel to Seattle from Connellsville, Pennsylvania, a pleasant contrast to the 14 hours of misery flying to Seattle often presents. Next time you go, I strongly urge you to go by train

Go by Train

Portland, Oregon’s Union Station says it best

Credit: Tony Webster