The river flows...

[sheepherder]

...It flows to the sea
Wherever that river goes
That's where I want to be...

I know; it's not a river. It's a rail line. It's next to the parking lot for my closest hardware store. I cross it when I need hardware.

But I always look down the tracks. I wonder what's around the corner, what the trainsmen see. I think that some day I'll go down that line and take a look...

[zinfull]

All the times I have been on the train I have seen the best and worst of the areas. It was always an adventure.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by zinfull

All the times I have been on the train I have seen the best and worst of the areas. It was always an adventure.

I was born in '49, grew up with three rail lines running through my backyard. In the '50's in Summer we kids would climb the cherry tree along the back fence and eat cherries. The closest trains were only six feet away; the trainsmen would see us from a ways off and laugh and wave. The people in the passenger car could only see us for a second. We'd smile & wave, knowing they couldn't react quick enough to reply. Fun times.

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

I was born in '49, grew up with three rail lines running through my backyard. In the '50's in Summer we kids would climb the cherry tree along the back fence and eat cherries. The closest trains were only six feet away; the trainsmen would see us from a ways off and laugh and wave. The people in the passenger car could only see us for a second. We'd smile & wave, knowing they couldn't react quick enough to reply. Fun times.

I also grew up by a train line.
Not Cherries but stone fruit: peaches, plums, nectarines grew along the rail line - because
In those days the passenger car windows opened and the passengers threw the fruit stones out the window in sufficient quantities that some grew

Lots of free fruit for kids

[Ron Wood]

Train tracks were part pf my early years also. I grew up in a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania and the coal trains ran on the longest narrow-gage railway in the world at that time (longer than the ones in China). My friends and I used to hop on the loaded coal cars as they were starting up to leave town and rode them down to the next small crossroads where the train slowed down for a curve. We would jump off and go fishing in a nearby stream. Once in a while we could hop on an empty returning train, but most of the time we had to hitch-hike back to town. After a time the railroad cops caught on to us and brought that pastime to an end.
Ron

[Edward Tinker]

I love to go by train - totally different perspective.

Sheepherder, that is a cool picture, nice with the clouds

[sheepherder]

I enlisted in '69, tracks were still there but the writing was on the wall...When I got home in '71, there was an elevated freeway where the tracks were...And an exit ramp behind our lot...

Lying in bed as a kid, couldn't get to sleep...Then there would be a noticeable vibration, then the far away sound of the diesel engine...Then light on the far wall of my attic bedroom...The light would creep along and now I could hear the wheels hitting the gaps in the rails...Then the engine 'chugga chugga chugga'...Then a 'Woo Woooo' as the train came up to the crossing...Then the whole house vibrated as the engine came abreast...By then, I was sound asleep...

[G.T.]

We had a set of tracks that were one half mile north and were a very big part of the city of Aberdeen SD history, We were just outside the city limits, right across from the end of the main runway of the municipal air port. It was still a rural area, and to a 12 year old whos dad owned the Harley dealership, it was a non-stop adventure, at least as long as it was daylight! I would take a step thru Harley M50, they got about 100 miles to a gallon, and sling my trusty Ruger 10/22 Sporter around my neck resting across my arms, and head out. I always had about a half dozen mags, and pocketful's of loose rounds, as you never know when the gophers might launch a counter attack! ... As I was yet lacking any type of License to drive, it was in the road ditch all the way, but I had it fairly compacted with my travels and it was only a minute or two and I was at the tracks. Now the stretch I traveled was only a mile, it seemed like a whole nother country, and as far as I can remember, no one ever stopped me or asked what I was doing on the railroad rightaway ?? So, I'd go right down the middle of the tracks and shoot gophers as they appeared! I swear to God I thought he earth was hollow and filled with gophers! I must admit, most of my success, when there was some was probably due to ricochets, as I was nearsighted and the trigger pull on the Ruger was about three time the weight of the gun?... But, being easy to load, and fast to fire, I don't recall ever bringing home any ammo? .... Sometimes the carburetor would foam out, and I had to re-start, and by the time I was ready to go home, i couldn't feel my hands or feet... The next day I'd do it again... I don't think in the time that i did this, my dad ever asked what i was doing.. I believe he thought if I was kept busy, and not breaking his stuff, all was good?... I guess in the long run, he was right.... Best to all, til.....lat'r....GT...

[mrerick]

When I visit Oberndorf, I like to fly into Belgium and take the train. That way, I can also visit friends and relatives while there. Here are some station pictures, and one from the Belgium/French Thalys high speed express train (which is an amazing experience including dinner service at your seat).

[DonVoigt]

GT,
Love that picture- but I don't see "no corner"!
You might have to walk a long way to find out what is "around" the next one.

[lugerholsterrepair]

Europe has a civilized society. All our public transportation involves naugahide seats to accomodate filthy bums and puking drunks, lowlifes of all types. A taxi in Belgium is a fine Mercedes, like a real car. It's assumed you won't crap in the back seat. America could be like that but seems we have too much diversity.

[m1903a3]

So I'm in the main station in Berlin, waiting for a train to Regensburg for a holiday with my former housemate. An Asian man asks me (in German) if I know where the train to Prague departs from. When I told him Track 1, he said it wasn't there or on the departure sign at the track. I walked him over and pointed to the sign. He says he's looking for "Prag" (Prague in German) and not Praha. (At this point he's virtually standing under the sign.)

I explained it was a Czech Rail train, not DeutschBahn, so the destination sign was in Czech, not German

Praha hl.n was the Prague main station. (Praha hlavní nádraží)

I love rail travel in Europe, but many of the Intercity Express trains cross borders, so you need to be alert to the fact that signage is often in the language of the train's country, not the country you happen to be in at the moment.

[ithacaartist]

Exploring "where the river flows" wound up in a hassle with the railroad police for me. my brother, and our friend Mike.

A spur line extended from a feed mill it serviced about once a week to the main stuff in Watertown NY. It passed within a hundred yards of the Jr/Sr High, and in 8th grade, I kept a list in the back of my notebook of the different rolling stock that went past--NYC, B&O, "Chessie," Erie, etc., etc. It was also two blocks from my house.

One day, the three of us decided to follow the tacks towards town to see where they wound up. The Little League field was right about at the city limits, and around that area we encountered a bunch of melted candy bars strewn along the ties. We snagged a few and found you could still eat them by squeezing the contents out of the wrapper on one end.

Just after we'd crossed NY Rte 12, a black car pulled up and called us over. Railroad cops, they said, and went on to accuse of having broken into the concession stand at the ball field at some point in the recent past. The candy bars were apparently loot that the burglars had dropped during their daring escape, and it now made sense to us as to why/how they'd come to be there. Kids on tracks = culprits (in their minds), but we convinced them we weren't the perps. Had to walk the long way back home, having been cautioned to stay off the tracks.

[Sonofeugene]

You need something like this to explore with:

[Norme]

Many, many years ago my parents were traveling on a scenic mountain train ride in Switzerland. The train traversed steep gorges with precipitous drops and a woman who shared the compartment with them seemed transfixed by the view. After a while she turned very pale and announced that she was going to be sick. My father hastily opened the window (this was back when train windows opened) and the woman stuck her head out and vomited. A short while later the conductor showed up to punch tickets and noticing that the window was open announced that there would be a 5 frank fee for cleaning the outside of the carriage. My father protested that the woman had thrown up out of the window out of consideration, had she vomited inside there would have been a bigger mess. Thats right, agreed the conductor, that would have been 10 franks!
Norm

[Mac Cat]

Mike said: When I told him Track 1, he said it wasn't there or on the departure sign at the track. I walked him over and pointed to the sign. He says he's looking for "Prag" (Prague in German) and not Praha. (At this point he's virtually standing under the sign.)

I explained it was a Czech Rail train, not DeutschBahn, so the destination sign was in Czech, not German

Praha hl.n was the Prague main station. (Praha hlavní nádraží)

I took that train to Prague in June 2016. It was full of happy Soccer fans singing all the way the Regensburg. The trip east out of Regensburg, however, got more dreadful with each town we passed.

The graffiti got more obvious and more buildings looked like they had never been repaired since WW-2. At one point, in Pilsen, the blue uniformed boarder police passed through and checked a few passports, but then then a second group of inspectors came through dressed in khaki uniforms and they dragged off a teenager seated in front of me. I will never forget what they said to him, "We are controlling your papers. Come with us... " Nightmare.

The soot coated train station in Prague was equally frightening - I was sure we were in the wrong place. It was beyond dirty - signs were not working, it was full of vagrants and trash was piled up everywhere. The taxi was a Mercedes - a 1960's diesel sedan spewing black smoke everywhere.

Fortunately, they have a modern subway system - you only have to watch out for pick-pockets.

I noted that Colt has been sold to the Czech's - not sure if that's the government or a private entity..should be interesting.

[m1903a3]

Originally Posted by Mac Cat

I took that train to Prague in June 2016. It was full of happy Soccer fans singing all the way the Regensburg. The trip east out of Regensburg, however, got more dreadful with each town we passed.

The graffiti got more obvious and more buildings looked like they had never been repaired since WW-2. At one point, in Pilsen, the blue uniformed boarder police passed through and checked a few passports, but then then a second group of inspectors came through dressed in khaki uniforms and they dragged off a teenager seated in front of me. I will never forget what they said to him, "We are controlling your papers. Come with us... " Nightmare.

The soot coated train station in Prague was equally frightening - I was sure we were in the wrong place. It was beyond dirty - signs were not working, it was full of vagrants and trash was piled up everywhere. The taxi was a Mercedes - a 1960's diesel sedan spewing black smoke everywhere.

Fortunately, they have a modern subway system - you only have to watch out for pick-pockets.

. . .

Wow, WOW! We must live in parallel universes.

Where did you start your trip? That day I was in Berlin going to Regensburg. The train to Prague I pointed out doesn't go anywhere near Regensburg, it goes south through Dresden.
My train to Regensburg went SW to Nuremberg where I had to change trains to get to Regensburg.

These days you can't get to Pilsen from Regensburg without changing trains at least twice. I can't say what that trip would look like. I've been to both by train, but never from one to the other. I will say, however, that in my experience the closer you are to an urban area on a train, in Europe or the US, the shabbier the scenery and the more plentiful the graffiti. Taking AMTRAK from Washington to NYC is uglier than any train trip I've had in Europe, but not by much.

I never experienced any border guards or passport checks between Germany and Czechia, nor would I expect to. The Czech Republic joined the Schengen Area at the end of 2007 which abolished all passport and border controls within the 26 member countries. I've been to Pilsen and Prague several times with my Czech housemate who is from Pilsen. It's a clean lovely little city. The industrial area is obviously more "industrial" than scenic, but it's the home of the very modern Skoda works. Czechia has seen a lot of economic improvement and modernization since the fall of communism and joining the EU.

As for Prague, what can I say. It's one of the most beautiful and popular tourist cities in Europe. I can't imagine where you were that made you describe the train station as you did. The new station was built in 1977 and refurbished in 2012. Personally, I find electric trains remarkably "soot" free and this station, like so many in Europe, clean, modern, well maintained and very attractive.

Here's the Prague station: https://youtu.be/s7Akj18Hlqg

And here's a video of Pilsen and Prague. We drove this trip. Andrea borrowed her step-father's SUV to haul her belongings from Berlin to Pilsen as she prepared to move to Regensburg.

https://youtu.be/RJm7WbL_SSM

[Lyn Islaub]

My Grandfather (a WW1 Navy Vet) was an engineer on the Union Pacific and drove the Big Boy locomotives from Ogden, Utah to Carlin Nevada up the Uinta Grade, one of the steepest grades in the UISA. Sometimes they used two of these monsters if the train was long. He took me on one of his trips when I was about 9 years old and I'll never forget the impressions left by being aboard that monster locomotive, the largest in the world.

[spangy]

Thanks sheepherder for the Parallax View

Trains were a part of my young life too
As kids we used to cross the mighty Sakatchewan river on the trestle bridge that spanned it ... certain death if you fell and almost certain if a train was coming. We used to put our ear on the track and carefully listen for an approaching train.



I loved taking the train to the west coast, to Vancouver through the Rocky Mountain range ... what an awesome trip.

Got my nostalgia going

[Mac Cat]

In Regensburg, the train pulled in, then they un-coupled the last 3 cars and we departed in the opposite direction. I wasn't expecting border checks, either, but it happened. We started out from Zurich, originally. Boarder police climbed aboard before we crossed into Germany, but they just walked through the cars.

The leading cars went on to Nurenberg. I lived there a couple of years in 1963 - I was 10. But, I really like Bavaria the best - mountains, lakes and Austria. No border checks there - just open roads and lovely people. Next trip, I'm renting a bike and sticking to southern Bavaria, in the Spring - it's already too hot by June. Germany and France have wonderful bike routes in the country and you don't have to worry about trying to park a rented car when you get to a little town.

The train never made it all the way into Munich, because someone jumped into an earlier train (they told us suicide by train was fairly common in Germany) and the tracks were shut down. We got into the train station on a bus. That was pretty exciting, because everyone left the train and nobody bother to mention what was going on in English. My poor German was just enough to get us on to the last bus.

Munich is a lovely city rich in culture and easy to navigate. It's very walkable, except when you need a bathroom. I learned to use the subway bathrooms. They are weird that way - afraid of vagabonds and roma's. They aren't very generous with ice, either. You learn to drink without it.

I go to Europe every two years, until recently, for a conference that is in early June. Every 4 years, it corresponds with soccer championships (World Cup ??)

In Houston and Atlanta, I had to wait in line for over 2 hours more than once. Chicago was a better experience. The new kiosks are a big improvement, but for some reasons, big planes tend to land at almost the same time and that backs up the whole process. Returning home, US Custom's has almost never been a smooth experience, so I got a World Traveler pass. I usually miss my connection flight, so I have learned to book the next flight out and just chill for a while in the airport.

Traveling to Europe and experiencing 25% VAT tax makes me happy to live in the USA. I'm always grateful to come home again. ALWAYS !!