Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Up Close to the Train

 

Nothing too interesting to report about my day on campus, but yesterday while I worked from home, I did have a very close encounter with a train. I went out for a walk a little later than usual, and I was walking back in our neighborhood when I heard a train whistle to the west. I quickly turned and began walking up Westport Road, which is not really a treat because there are no sidewalks, and people tend to drive a lot faster than the relatively slow speed limit. However, the railroad tracks get very close to the road, and I thought it would be cool to see the train that close up. So I walked along the road, thinking maybe it was really a bad idea because the train whistle didn't seem to be getting any closer - if anything, it sounded further away. As I was about to turn around, I could see the train approaching at what seemed to be a slow speed, so I kept walking toward it. It blew its whistle just before crossing the intersection, and I crossed the road and walked alongside it, but even though it was going slowly for a train, I couldn't keep up with it. Maybe if I'd started running I could have kept up, but that seemed sort of crazy, to run alongside a train. It was kind of loud when I was that close to it, not even the whistle (which had been some distance away from me) but just the clacking of the wheels on the tracks. Still, it really made my day. I am a simple creature, and I like to see trains. Mission accomplished.


Famous Hat


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