Location Taken: Saskatchewan, Canada (I think)
Time Taken: June 2010
I’ve been quite fond of trains for as long as I remember.
I’m not sure why. I didn’t really ride them when I was young. Perhaps an occasional subway ride once in a while, but other than that, we just didn’t go on routes where trains were the best choice.
Still, I love rail games, both video and board games. I have a pretty healthy amount of nostalgia for the first Railroad Tycoon game, even though I know if I played it now, it’d be clunky and not actually that fun. But then, I’ve been spoiled by modern game mechanics, and get twitchy when I see an old game doing things the tedious way when there’s a much better method. I suspect that’s why that series isn’t doing so hot anymore. I had fun with the latest, Railroads! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name), but it felt like a dalliance rather than a real game. Just something to pass the time. As for board games, if it’s a train game, I’ll likely love it. TransAmerica, Ticket to Ride, and especially Mayfair Game’s Empire Builder series, all of those I’ll play just about any time.
I also love watching trains go by, especially the long ones you find in the flat lands. And by long I mean mile-plus. Well, they’re not as fun to watch as they go by your stopped car, but seeing them in the distance? That’s marvelous. I love seeing all the different car types, and what the sides say. I even like seeing the graffiti on the side, even if the rail companies hate it. Trains tell where they’ve come from far better than cars, planes, or boats, and the history is compelling.
I also love riding trains, of course, and really wish the US had a decent train system. Our current one has far too many gaps in coverage for it to actually work at all well. But that’s a rant for another day.
This photo also has cows. I’m not as fond of cows. They go moo.
