I am stubbornly sentimental about train travel, even though I have experienced its inconveniences when traveling to larger cities. I pine for the days when the interurban would take you from Bloomington to Peoria, and I wouldn't have to drive a car to get there. One of my biggest thrills was riding a small spur line train in the Czech Republic. It was an adorable little yellow and green train with just one or two little cars. It was romantically antique and shabby. It jerked and noisily clattered on the track, and I was in heaven! Of course, making the connection meant waiting a couple of hours . But the hours were spent in exploration of a tiny village and a pleasant lunch.
But in 1942 sportswriter Fred Young told a story of inconvenience and tedium experienced by basketball referees. (In 1942 the referees were dealing with the trains again because of gas rationing.)
He makes life with the trains sound perfectly grueling! But when I was commuting to Peoria I would have given anything for a ride to work and back. Spending an hour reading a book would seem like time well spent if I didn't have to drive myself!