Location Taken: Savage Marc Station, Laurel, MD
Time Taken: October 2008
I’ve always loved trains. It’s my favorite form of transportation by far, whether it’s a crowded subway or a long overnight Amtrak ride. I’m not sure exactly what makes it so right for me. Some of it is just not having to deal with driving amongst other drivers, while also not having to deal with the nonsensical rules of airline travel (seriously, American air security is more for show than anything else). Some of it is the calming rhythmical movement and noise of going along the track. And some of it is getting to see the behind-the-scenes areas of the world.
There’s something about the working areas that appeals to me. By this, I mean the sections where most people don’t go, the employee areas, the trainyards, the warehouses, places that are functional and mundane and not at all geared towards visitors. I think a large part of their ideal, aside from the sense that you’re seeing something few others see, is their mystery. If you don’t know what things in such areas do, there are few clues to guide you to the answer. Why is there a door there? What is that stack of lumber going to be used for? What is inside that large container? And trains, since they are by nature noisy and smelly and thus regulated to the fringes where other noisy and smelly things go, pass right by a large number of these working areas.
Other train systems, such as subways, have their own appeal. I like subway tunnels. Partly because I also like (well lit) cave systems. And tunnels are also full of the working areas. And for the train lines far away from the cities and suburbs, you tend to see fields and small houses rather than grand boulevards. There’s a delight in the mundane.
I really do wish America had a better train system. I’ve learned enough to know why we don’t, the way the sheer size of the country makes decent train coverage difficult, which also lead to people developing a really good interstate system to cover the territory instead and thus lead to a car-focused transportation system. But I do get envious of smaller countries like Japan where train systems are the best option. Their systems are much better, and much more sensible and geared for passenger travel. I doubt they’re buying track usage from the freight companies, which leads to the Amtrak trains having to pause for a while every so often to let the freight trains through, making the long journeys even longer. And they also have faster trains, since their tracks are designed for such things.
Still, even with the deficiencies in the American train system, I love going on them. Even if it means I have downtime where I have little to do other than take photos of the flowers growing between the tracks.
