If you could hearken back to a simpler time (technology wise)?

[Ken]

As kind of a train buff, I'd like to go back to the time before the interstate highways and cars destroyed the landscape and train travel was at its peak. When one could travel between cities on named trains like the 20th Century Limited and Empire Builder and the stations were grand. But alas, that was before my time. None of the decades that I've actually lived through are calling to me in any great way.

[Josh]

As kind of a train buff, I'd like to go back to the time before the interstate highways and cars destroyed the landscape and train travel was at its peak. When one could travel between cities on named trains like the 20th Century Limited and Empire Builder and the stations were grand. But alas, that was before my time. None of the decades that I've actually lived through are calling to me in any great way.

You still can, although the 1990s-decor Amtrak cars are rather uninspiring. Unfortunately by 1930 the train was already giving way to the automobile (aided by the automobile and tyre industries working quite hard to destroy passenger rail).

[Ken]

You still can, although the 1990s-decor Amtrak cars are rather uninspiring. Unfortunately by 1930 the train was already giving way to the automobile (aided by the automobile and tyre industries working quite hard to destroy passenger rail).

Totally not the same thing. Some years ago I sent my mother-in-law from Waco to San Antonio by train to visit one of her friends. Took 8 hours as the Amtrak train was constantly shunted off to sidings to allow priority freight passage. It is a 3-hour trip by car. And the train stations at both ends are basically closed and boarded up so you just get dumped into a parking lot at 2 am and have to hope someone is there to pick you up.

Although my daughter does take Amtrak back and forth between Vancouver WA and Seattle and that service is relatively good and as fast or faster than cars. But it still isn't the same as when railroads were actually in a technological arms race to provide the best and fastest train service in the world.

I'm not talking just about riding trains. But the time when trains reigned supreme as the primary mode of interstate passenger and freight travel. Before our landscape was completely cut up by highways. Before the downtowns of every small town and city were destroyed by interstate loop routes and suburban malls full of chain stores.

[steve-in-kville]

I voted for the 80's and 90's. You had one phone in the house mounted on the kitchen wall. There was one TV in the living room (for me anyway). Most stores were closed on a Sunday, save a few.

Most didn't have a computers until later.

[Sudsy]

I voted 50's and 60''s. Actually it would be the late 50s and early 60s. That was the period in my life when my parents were quite involved in evangelism and we had no TV. I had a FM radio and would love to listen to 'Hymn Time' in the evenings from a FM station in Detroit Michigan. Those were days when I was the least distracted and least interested in worldly stuff. Church had meetings 6 out of 7 days a week. 3 services on a Sunday. A low tech life had it's benefits, for sure.

[ohio jones]

As kind of a train buff, I'd like to go back to the time before the interstate highways and cars destroyed the landscape and train travel was at its peak. When one could travel between cities on named trains like the 20th Century Limited and Empire Builder ...

Except that most people couldn't afford to travel in style on the flagship trains. When I was a kid we were able to take a trip on the Broadway Limited, but by then it was no longer an all-sleeper train with a barber shop and twin-unit diner; instead, Amtrak operated it with worn-out PRR coaches and we packed our food.

More recently, I traveled with Pullman Rail Journeys on private cars attached to the City of New Orleans. An upscale experience that recreated the best of what travel would have been like 70 years ago, but out of reach of most people in any decade (including me at regular prices; I found a deeply discounted sale).

[Ken]

As kind of a train buff, I'd like to go back to the time before the interstate highways and cars destroyed the landscape and train travel was at its peak. When one could travel between cities on named trains like the 20th Century Limited and Empire Builder ...

Except that most people couldn't afford to travel in style on the flagship trains. When I was a kid we were able to take a trip on the Broadway Limited, but by then it was no longer an all-sleeper train with a barber shop and twin-unit diner; instead, Amtrak operated it with worn-out PRR coaches and we packed our food.

More recently, I traveled with Pullman Rail Journeys on private cars attached to the City of New Orleans. An upscale experience that recreated the best of what travel would have been like 70 years ago, but out of reach of most people in any decade (including me at regular prices; I found a deeply discounted sale).

Oh, I agree. The fancy trains were mostly for the rich. I'm talking more about that moment in time before cars, highways, and suburbanization took over the country. Say the late 1940s since the 30s and early 40s had the depression and war. Or maybe even the 1920s. When every town had a vibrant downtown of mostly independent shops. That was when trains rather than highways were what connected this country. Even if you never rode the train, your landscape was affected by them.

Of course any look at the past is usually through rose colored glasses. Those times had lots of problems too.

[Josh]

As kind of a train buff, I'd like to go back to the time before the interstate highways and cars destroyed the landscape and train travel was at its peak. When one could travel between cities on named trains like the 20th Century Limited and Empire Builder ...

Except that most people couldn't afford to travel in style on the flagship trains. When I was a kid we were able to take a trip on the Broadway Limited, but by then it was no longer an all-sleeper train with a barber shop and twin-unit diner; instead, Amtrak operated it with worn-out PRR coaches and we packed our food.

More recently, I traveled with Pullman Rail Journeys on private cars attached to the City of New Orleans. An upscale experience that recreated the best of what travel would have been like 70 years ago, but out of reach of most people in any decade (including me at regular prices; I found a deeply discounted sale).

Oh, I agree. The fancy trains were mostly for the rich. I'm talking more about that moment in time before cars, highways, and suburbanization took over the country. Say the late 1940s since the 30s and early 40s had the depression and war. Or maybe even the 1920s. When every town had a vibrant downtown of mostly independent shops. That was when trains rather than highways were what connected this country. Even if you never rode the train, your landscape was affected by them.

Of course any look at the past is usually through rose colored glasses. Those times had lots of problems too.

I would agree that society was far better than urban and rural life was ordered that way.

I appreciate train travel, but old inter-city trains were basically as slow as Amtrak is now. My grandparents spoke fondly of taking a streetcar from Canton to Massillon in an hour or Cleveland in 3 to see baseball games. The trip now is 20 minutes or an hour.

In Queensland trains were quite practical to get between my brother’s home and where I lived. 3 hours versus a 2 hour drive. I did it rather often. The biggest downside is the train station in Gympie wasn’t downtown, so I had to find someone to pick me up.

[violet]

I voted for the 80's and 90's. You had one phone in the house mounted on the kitchen wall. There was one TV in the living room (for me anyway). Most stores were closed on a Sunday, save a few.

Most didn't have a computers until later.

I watch and elderly lady two days a week. I rotate my children as I always take a few with me...it pleases the woman and I have things to accomplish with my children.

She has one of these phones...which made me completely crack up....I cannot tell you how many times I had to explain how to use this wall phone to my children. Yes, just pick it up and put it on your ear. Yes, just hang it up. Yes, use the dial to make the phone call.

It was like my older kids constantly rolling their eyes at me because I cannot remember how to use some obsucure cell phone function. I happen to live in a dead zone for cell towers so I don't use them often enough to remember all the bells and whistles....

[Ken]

Except that most people couldn't afford to travel in style on the flagship trains. When I was a kid we were able to take a trip on the Broadway Limited, but by then it was no longer an all-sleeper train with a barber shop and twin-unit diner; instead, Amtrak operated it with worn-out PRR coaches and we packed our food.

More recently, I traveled with Pullman Rail Journeys on private cars attached to the City of New Orleans. An upscale experience that recreated the best of what travel would have been like 70 years ago, but out of reach of most people in any decade (including me at regular prices; I found a deeply discounted sale).

Oh, I agree. The fancy trains were mostly for the rich. I'm talking more about that moment in time before cars, highways, and suburbanization took over the country. Say the late 1940s since the 30s and early 40s had the depression and war. Or maybe even the 1920s. When every town had a vibrant downtown of mostly independent shops. That was when trains rather than highways were what connected this country. Even if you never rode the train, your landscape was affected by them.

Of course any look at the past is usually through rose colored glasses. Those times had lots of problems too.

I would agree that society was far better than urban and rural life was ordered that way.

I appreciate train travel, but old inter-city trains were basically as slow as Amtrak is now. My grandparents spoke fondly of taking a streetcar from Canton to Massillon in an hour or Cleveland in 3 to see baseball games. The trip now is 20 minutes or an hour.

In Queensland trains were quite practical to get between my brother’s home and where I lived. 3 hours versus a 2 hour drive. I did it rather often. The biggest downside is the train station in Gympie wasn’t downtown, so I had to find someone to pick me up.

I just looked it up. The 20th Century Limited which ran between NYC and Chicago took 20 hours when it was inaugurated in 1902. By the 1930s and right after the war they had the trip down to 15 hours with streamliner trains that could reach 120 mph.

Today an Amtrak trip between NYC and Chicago takes an average of 23 hours and even that is unreliable because the railroads give priority to freight over passenger service.

Of course lots of less prominent local passenger service trains were much slower. But the speeds of the top mainline passenger trains from 80 years ago have yet to be matched except perhaps by the Acela service that only runs between DC, NYC, and Boston. Of course the rest of the modern world in Europe and Asia has long since surpassed this with high speed trains. But not here. We are still trying to catch up with the train service that was powered by steam locomotives 80 years ago. The top high speed rail trains in France and Japan exceed 300 mph. At that rate they could cover the 700 miles between NYC and Chicago in under 3 hours. Make it 4 if they stop at other stations along the way. But that is still faster than air travel if you count all the down time going to and from airports and all the down time waiting for security and for flights.