AMTRAK AMERICA

 

Yeah, we have some passenger rail service in this country. I wish we had a lot more, like Europe or Japan. We have good memories of being whisked from Avignon to Paris on the TGV, or Tokyo to Kyoto on the Shinkansen. Our town has service to Kansas City and Chicago. It takes a little longer than driving but is so much more comfortable. Looking forward to October when we go from Prague  to Vienna to Budapest by train.               

TRAIN TIME

 

During World War II, the Union Pacific Railroad built a group of enormous locomotives to move material, known as Big Boys. Only one of them, Number 4014, is still operational. https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam/big-boy-4014 Every few years the company trots it out for a coast to coast tour, stopping in St. Louis yesterday. The viewing area was so poorly laid out that no one could get beyond the front of the unit and the crush of people was intolerable. This other engine, with its semiquincentennial theme, had plenty of room.   

Big Boy will pass close to our home this morning on its way to Kansas City so I will see if I can get a better shot.         

GOOD RIDDANCE TO 2020 FROM ST. LOUIS

The levee on the Illinois side of the Mississippi is a minimal barrier to more bad juju rolling into town in the new year. Note the detail on the train engine. 

May your new year be better. CDP theme day tomorrow.         

TRAIN TIME

The Midwest is criss crossed by train tracks. It's almost all freight. We can get to Kansas City and Chicago from here by rail but it's so slow that you're better off driving. The freight  tracks run right through our town. 

Even with our not-so-strict rules, I'm tired of sitting at home. Went out for a walk yesterday afternoon and had the luck of finding tons of metal crossing one of our main streets.

The reference in the title is to some music from a long time ago. Listen to https://youtu.be/wX9muArmeFg , and pay attention to Ginger Baker's drumming.   

SO WHAT'S THIS STORY, ANYWAY?

I have neither read the book or seen the movie so I really don't know. You can make a guess from context. Characters (from the book, I assume) brought around  large print editions for the children to follow.Ellie was spellbound. I think the illustration, at least on the right side of these pages, is a little strange. Santa is standing bolt upright, chin a little raised. He is staring forward, looking like he was watching the approach of H. G. Wells' martians. But I'm sure everything turned out well in the end.  

Very late post today. I've got some kind of bug that leaves me feeling sleepy all the time.