I love riding in them - commuter rail, Amtrak, what have you. It's so much more pleasant than driving, and no worries about parking.

I do love the sound of trains. There is a railroad crossing (freight) a few miles from me. The engineer toots madly before he crosses the road. I just love the sound of the horn. Fortunately it’s far enough away from me to be a charming sound and not a nuisance. I don‘t know how the people who live nearby stand it. It would blast you out of your bed at night. It from a distance it has that kind of lonely woo wooo sound.

For years I commuted by train and I always enjoyed everything about it, even the stinky city train station. I love that clickety clack sound it makes. I think it’s almost miraculous that I can board the train at a station near my home and pop up in the middle of the city just twenty minutes later.

I like the sound of the conductor punching the paper tickets, too.

Philadelphia used to have a wonderful old analog board in one station that showed arrivals and departures. It made the greatest sound. It was recently replaced by a digital screen, much to the chagrin of many. Flip board

I think it’s almost miraculous that I can board the train at a station near my home and pop up in the middle of the city just twenty minutes later.

Amen, and I do so miss that flip board!

Oh, I didn't even think of that! Son and and I rode the train to downtown for work and school. So much fun! Got to where he needed the car to/from school events so went back to driving. The train was camaraderie, the conductor was sweet, the ride amazing... And the whistle amused us to no end. We loved it all.

Yes, I also love trains. My husband was a locomotive engineer. When the kids were small we would take them with their dad on day trips. He retired many years ago but still loves the sound of whistle . Before he retired we rode a steam train into the mountains of North Carolina. The engine broke down and they had to get another engine to bring us back down the mountain. The train master was welcoming visitors on that trip, he spotted us and ask , why in the world was a train engineer riding the rails on his day off.

This has reminded me that when our kids were small we used to take them to Strasburg, PA to ride the steam locomotive: https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/

My grandfather retired from the railroad and their house sat right next to the tracks. I loved the sound of the train on the tracks at night as I lay in bed. Sometimes I listen to train sounds on Spotify at night to go to sleep.

I love the soothing sound of trains. I seem to have always lived within hearing distance of a train. I grew up in an apartment that was set back about a block from the EL train in NYC. Nothing was between the train and the windows of the apartment. One would think that a train that close by would interrupt conversations or sleep, but the train was not an interference. The NY Central ran on the opposite side of the apartment building. The kids in the neighborhood enjoyed waving to the engineer who waved back. The train track was below the sidewalk and fenced off from a play area , so it was not a safety issue unless a kid tried to cross the tracks. My first house was several blocks from the LIRR. Presently if I am awake at 3:00AM, I can hear the train whistle and chug chug of a train several miles away. I deliberately listen for it.

I don't fly, so I have taken many trains. I enjoy train travel. I always get a bedroom for overnight trips.

Yes! Love them....watching them go by, riding on them!

In ID, one pulled over on the siding to wait for another to pass...

On a cross country car trip we were parallel to veeeery long freight train. Just then, « City of New Orleans » came on the radio, one of my all time favorites. Small pleasures :-)

We're about a quarter-mile from the tracks. We hear trains daily. Their whistle pattern is: long, long, short, loooong. At night when the windows are open, you can hear the train as it whistles through all the crossings in town, fainter and fainter as it gets further out.

I miss the days of red cabooses marking the end of a train.

I was in the 30th Street Station to catch an Amtrak train to Newark, and I could not believe how expensive it was. It was even more expensive to go back to Philadelphia from Newark. Now I know that you have to buy your tickets way in advance. The ride from Newark to Philadelphia was $160.00 - twice what the first ticket cost me. They should have sold me a round trip ticket in the first place, but they did not seem in the least interested in helping me save money.

I've ridden trains all over Mexico, back in the 1970s, but they no long have passenger trains there :(. I used to take the Santa Fe train to Houston from my parents' house when I was at Rice because that was the most direct way to travel, other than by car. I especially liked the dining car. I also took Santa Fe (I think) between Houston and New Orleans, and the bar car on that train was the best. In Mexico, I would get a dormitorio, if I were traveling overnight. In the 1970s, Mexico was using the 1940s stainless steel trains from the U.S. that Amtrak decommissioned. Those train cars were much better than what Amtrak replaced them with.

As a child, I had a phobia of train tracks, and I would never walk across them, although I was okay being driven across them. I guess I had seen too many poor Nell kidnappings on movie clips and feared that someone would tie me to the railroad tracks if I walked across them.

The town where I was born was a railroad town, created by the Santa Fe Railroad because it was a junction of the N/S track from Houston to Chicago and a split going west to Los Angeles. There was also a Santa Fe hospital there, and so the town also became a medical center and still has a very large percentage of doctors.

I enjoy trains that pass through my neighborhood and trains that have taken us to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver (VIA Rail).

The freight trains haul coal and cars through our community. The only one I dislike is the 3:30 AM schedule.

Lars, that must have been an Acela. The regular Amtrak trains are half that price or less.

I normally like the idea of trains and the sounds of trains or even traveling by train but I did once spend the night in Index Wa. On our way home from a short trip we stopped for dinner in a really good restaurant we knew. It was late and we decided to stay in the hotel that housed the restaurant. Surprisingly we had our choice of rooms, no one was staying there. Oh, nice looking rooms but we ended up in the northernmost farthest from the nearby train line . And then we found out why. Every twenty minutes you would hear a train coming, wailing at each crossing as it came, getting closer and closer and Louder and Louder and LOUDER AND LOUDER....TILL IT STARTED TO fade away...until it all started over again. It shook the whole building and nothing helped. It was horrible, no sleep. If I met someone I seriously hated I would encourage them to book a room at that hotel.

I live in Illinois and we have the second most train tracks in the country. Texas is first and with the comparison of the size of our states we are surrounded with tracks. I have to wait on trains all the times. But of course I'm used to it, just like stop lights in a city. I can heard trains when I'm outside and I live 4 miles from the tracks. So no, I dont like trains. We hear of too many people being killed by them, either on foot or in a car.

However there are lots of people I know that board a train in a nearby town and go to Chicago for a game, shopping, a show etc. So that a pretty good thing for them.

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If you like riding and seeing trains, there's no better place to do so than in Western Europe and also in Japan.

Trains in the US are dinosaurs that travel at a snail's pace. Train travel in Europe is shockingly FAST, convenient, and very comfortable. In Japan, it's a bit more of a utilitarian experience but also fast and acceptably comfortable on the many fast lines there too.

I grew up "beside the railroad tracks." My father had a grain elevator, a stockyards, and a general store, all relying on the railroad. When I was nine I began attending the parochial school in a nearby town. My dad would drive me there in the morning and I took the train home. When I was older I often took the train to Minneapolis-St. Paul to shop.

To this day I love the sound of a train whistle! Wish I could have one more train ride.

Elmer, we rode a high-speed train in Germany and it was amazing! So smooth, we didn‘t spill a drop lol. Only by looking at the screen display did we realize just how incredibly fast we were going.

I do like trains. But living a mile from the commuter rail, I do not like hearing the whistle. The only reason that train blows a whistle is because someone or something is on the tracks, and that is tragic.

Trains bring back warm memories of our last home. I had moved in with my partner who had a home not far from a railway track. My first thought was that it would be so disruptive at night but it became quite the opposite. I found it very comforting to hear it rumble by while curled up in bed under soft warm blankets safe from all harm with my sweetie.

Big Boy #4014 in 2019

The resale store where I volunteer is in the old depot building. Only freight trains pass. The whistle was sounded a few times as they passed through town. Some people complained, and downtown was made a "quite zone." People were divided about it. I wanted to keep the whistles going. I loved hearing them even though they sometimes rattled the resale stock right off the shelves. We learned to display glass items toward the front of the shop. Many years ago passenger trains were routed through here. I never knew why that ceased. I remember standing by the depot and waving at soldiers on troop trains as they passed, and watching big leather mail sacks being loaded and unloaded.

I took a train in Norway from Oslo to Bergen. It took about 6.5 hours. And such beautiful scenery.

Am I the only one who saw the title and got excited, thinking that the train game was in the station?

I am old enough to recall listening to the steam horns on steam engines. Growing up, I lived on a farm about 5 miles from the B&O tracks and could hear those stream horns at night as I drifted off to sleep.

Coming forward to more modern times, one of our acquaints told a story about the Canadian National Railway. The company had converted to diesel-electric engines, but desired to have the sound of the old steam whistle. They commissioned an engineer to build one for them. He struggled with the project and at last came up with a design that did make a sound not exactly like the old whistles, but near enough for trial. The Company equipped several engines with prototypes and then discovered a problem. It was the Bull Moose during rutting season. When the Train Engineer sounded the horn, sometimes a Bull Moose would tear out of the woods and charge the engine - Not a pretty sight. The engine usually won. Sadly, after spending several thousand dollars to develop a nostalgic horn, they had to abandon the project.

I used to love train travel. But it has become horrible in this country. The last time I took the train from southern WV to Manhattan, it was 4 hours late, no longer had any food available to speak of, and the toilets were full and unusable by DC--and there were almost 6 hours to go. So sad.

Not so much...after years of riding commuter trains it dulls the "love". Do like

hearing them in the distance at night though.

When we visited NM we rode this train for some beautiful scenery.

Bullet train, Japan. I've also ridden the commuter trains in Japan where there is no personal space, jam packed! Oh well, you get to where you are going.

I have only ridden a train a couple times, going and coming back home on my Senior Trip, many years ago. It was okay, nothing I care to do again.

Sue

I love steam trains ... watching the driveshaft turn the wheels faster and faster, wondering how in the world engineers came up with those designs (well, determination, craftsmanship and hard work; not magic, lol), hearing the distinctive whistle. Norfolk & Western's J-611 is a big deal in Virginia. It's based on Roanoke. Every so often they hold "Fire Up 611" days, where you can get up close, even in the cab. The 611 burns coal, so you do have to be careful about cinders getting in your eyes. At about 1:30 in this video you can hear a diesel train's horn, followed by the 611's steam whistle:

Yes I like train whistles and watching trains and traveling by train. We currently take the Amtrak Auto Train north from Florida to Virginia in the early summer to get to our NY home in the mountains for the season. Just climbing up and down to the top bunk without laughing is worth the price of admission LOL. OMG. (You have to be REALLY small and skinny to sleep two in the bottom bunk.) But we enjoy the ride and the driving time that it saves us and for the 3 years so far that we've done it, its been a very nice experience.

I love the fast, super smooth trains Elmer describes, if I want to get somewhere quickly, or if 'm reading a book, using a pen (crossword puzzles) or doing anything that a smooth ride would be more advantageous. But if I'm taking a scenic route during a trip, and not needing the quickest arrival time, I much prefer the slower trains with their rhythmic chug-chug motion, that I find rather relaxing. The older and more grand the train, the better! I envy the days when trains (and ships) were elegantly appointed, with luxurious dining tables, fabric draperies, beautiful carved wood, shiny brass, etc, like the Orient Express train in the movie.

I have a family anecdote regarding trains, so to speak. When I was a teenager, my grandmother revealed a skeleton in our family closet. Apparently one of her mother's brothers was a train robber in the late 1880's! He had a few successful exploits before being caught, and one jail escape before he was re-caught. He was not given a death sentence though, and after serving his time, he changed his name and didn't return 'home' for many years. He regretted the shame his 'outlaw reputation' had brought upon their hard working family, and my mother met him only once as a child, when he revisited in his old age, after his parents had passed.

In the little town that I grew up in, there was a train that went through every 30 minutes. I miss that whistling and the sound of the trains. Others might think it was annoying but I got so used to it, that I didn’t even notice them

For 50+ years, I lived where I could hear trains. Not now though.

I took train trips with my parents from Houston to North Carolina when I was about 5, and from Alvin to Harlingen when in my teens with my mother. I loved traveling by train. I didn't mind that they were not terribly fast. I thought it was fascinating to see the scenery. When I am waiting for a train, and first in the line, I always wave at the conductor, and they wave back.

Way back when I was in one of the early grades of school, we had an assignment on "lonely sounds" vs "friendly sounds" where we had to assign one of the choices to a description. Well, one description was that of a train whistle in the distance. Since I listened for a train every night just at bedtime - it was probably a mile or so away - I thought it was a friendly sound and marked it as such. I was crushed when it was marked wrong! and couldn't convince the teacher otherwise (not the last time I butted heads with a teacher - I hope they have more imagination nowadays!).

When I was in the Netherlands, I took the train from Schiphol to Tilburg, and in chatting with a fellow passenger mentioned that it was the first time I'd ever been on a train. He was shocked to hear it - he said he thought everyone in America used trains! An impression he got from old movies, I think!

Love European trains (we also did Oslo to Bergen) but they are my only train experience. They are fast, clean, quiet, reasonably priced. I remember being at the Stockholm train station a few years ago and noting that the seat slipcovers were being replaced. There was a pile of old discarded slipcovers which looked to be in far better condition than anything I've seen in US metro trains.

Love this! https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50403561

I don't think the Oslo to Bergen route is a particularly fast train.

A quick look suggests the route to be 450-500km (just at or a bit less than 300 miles) done in 6 hours, so less than 60 mph. The French TGV model (that runs throughout much of Western Europe) regularly does long stretches at 300 kilometers per hour, just under 200 mph. The high speed rail beds are laser straight when possible with gentle curves. The route from Oslo to Bergen goes through a lot of valleys, has a lot of curves and turns, and most certainly wouldn't permit high speed.

An interesting bit of trivia - when the high speed line between Paris and London (through the Channel Tunnel) was being laid out, the French were able to give priority under the law that permitted obtaining the needed land parcels to allow straight segments and high speeds. On the UK side, obtaining the needed land was not possible to the same extent and so the British segment from the Tunnel to London was less straight and had lower average speeds than the same train could travel on the French side. i don't know if that's changed, I haven't taken it in a few years.

I love trains too. It's very nostalgic and kinda sad when I hear a whistle from far away at night. I think it goes back to my childhood. I love riding on one. Hop on the train and less than three hours later I'm in downtown Manhatten.

The only trains I've been on, that I enjoyed, are reserved seats on short scenic trips on former passenger lines. We (daughters, grandkids, and I) just rode the Santa Train in Nelsonville, OH a couple of week-ends ago. I've ridden the Metro in DC, and a commuter and a subway train in Boston. Being around all the people rushing for seats, and being in unfamiliar surroundings stressed me out (I am a slow moving country girl), but I didn't mind the ride.

Freight trains have always been part of our scenery--while traveling, we always wanted to see the end of the train to count the cabooses, and it was always fun to get an engineer to wave at us. I live about three miles from a freight line, between two intersections where the engineers sound the whistle. Different whistle pattern for each intersection. When I hear the first whistle, I always listen for the second one to sound a few minutes later.

"I don't think the Oslo to Bergen route is a particularly fast train."

No, it wasn't.

Yes! I love trains, too. Love to hear them, enjoy watching them go by, too. Loved riding when I was a child! My grandfather was a dispatcher for Missouri Pacific. I have his Telegraph key.

I grew up in Germany, and trains are in my blood... LOL. We used them for transportation all the time, just like everyone does there.

My father worked for the railroad.

My maternal grandfather lived across from the rail road station. I LOVED visiting there, and hang out at the upstairs window as a train was in the station... and huffed and puffed steam till it left again.

We always waved at the trains, and I still do.

I also get waves back now a days, when I wave as I ride along on my bicycle. I wish, train service was better here in the middle of Oklahoma than it is.

We have exactly one train (passenger) leave in the morning, going to Ft.Worth TX, and return in the evening.

To take a train to Florida you would be on trains for over 72 hours... first going to Ft.Worth, then a round about way to Chicago (which takes over 24 hours), to Washington DC and finally down to Florida where I would love to visit friend, not driving, nor flying with the high cost of taking my bike along.

Sad, sad

Moni

Bookwoman, no it was not an Acela. The tickets for the Acela were sold out. The prices seem to go up as fewer seats are left available. I really dislike Amtrak for that practice, even though I otherwise like trains.

I did take an Acela to Newark, and it was half the price of a non-Acela on the way back.

There is a train museum nearby, and although at first I found the sound of the steam whistle charming, now the museum is busier than ever, and they are letting visitors sound those whistles every few minutes, all day Saturday and Sunday. It is a little much!

My neighborhood (built in the 1941-1948 period) is one of prefab houses; the house pieces and parts were shipped to the site on the freight line that borders one edge of the neighborhood.

I like trains too and I was glad to discover that the little siding near me is still active. It's just a short line to an industrial park but I can usually hear a slow moving train a few times a day. They're not very long, usually 10 cars or so and they seldom use the whistle - only when some idiot pulls the car too far onto the tracks.

There is an unusual Bicycle Railroad not too far from where I live that consisted of one monorail that allowed bicyclists to travel to and from work. It was a great idea that unfortunately failed to overcome the many obstacles in its' path.

https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2012/08/dodging-cattle-and-bullets-new-jerseys-18th-century-bicycle-railroad/2833/

Yes! I've ridden commuter trains in Bangkok which is quite the experience during rush hour commuter times. Talk about packed in like a sardine! We've taken a train from the countryside of the Netherlands to Amsterdam, the London Underground, Amtrak across San Diego County as well as the San Diego commuter trains. None of them have been very long rides, but I enjoyed them.

One of these days, we want to take a train trip vacation either across Canada or across the US. I'd like to be able to get on and off at various stops, but don't know if that is possible as I haven't looked into the options yet. If we can do it the way I'd like to, I think it would be a hoot.