Trains Gone By

Being retired I decided to take in a 4-H Statewide shooting event. This event covered various classes of air rifles, pistols and archery. As a parent and grandparent, I have taken in my share of 4-H activities, but this was new and interesting to me. Of course having two grandsons involved sparked my interest, along with the fact I have never seen this part of 4-H. It was a great trip and fun experience.

I departed Glasgow via Amtrak. I had almost a three-hour wait at our Glasgow depot and had lots of time to process memories of train trips, both personal trips, and stories of others that enjoyed train trips. In the early trips I remember, you purchased your ticket on the Empire Builder. Remember the conductors that worked these passenger trains? I can almost visualize the uniforms that they wore.

Many passengers making a train trip packed lunches to be eaten while traveling, but you also had the choice of eating in the Dining Car. To my young mind, this was the height of luxury. The meals served were not what most rural kids were used to, or maybe not even familiar with the names of items on the special menus.

Remember the waiters working the dining car? They even had towels over their arms. I do remember my mother telling me her uncle took her on a train trip as a graduation present and how impressed she was with the elegance of the dining area.

I never got to see a sleeper car, but they did hold a lot of fascination for me.

“Red Caps” also come to mind. These were the people that graciously handled your luggage for you, most often taking it from the train to the depot.

While many things have changed in the train trips, the dining car still remains a great place to partake of meals, and of course there are now lots of services available for all of our modern technology. I am aware that Amtrak is now a separate entity from BN and probably accounts for the fact that not many changes have been made regarding décor or passenger comfort, however the big change I noticed was the new restrooms.

Remember the restrooms of the past? My knowledge is limited to the women’s facilities of course. The stalls were actually wooden, and all but one had locks on the doors. You could access that stall by depositing coins. I am thinking the cost was a dime, but I wasn’t making the deposit, so I may not remember correctly. I do know that youngsters often crawled under the door, therefore avoiding the charge and not having to wait to use the “free” one.

The depot was manned at one time and you purchased your ticket there. Were there bars on the ticket window like the ones we saw in the banks in front of teller windows? Changes are good and necessary, but it is disappointing to see all the glamour of those early day journeys disappear.