January 2009

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3
4 5
6
7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

2008 Culture Archives

December November October September August July June May April March February January

2007 Culture Archives

December November





About This Archive

This page is a Daily Archive of entries for Monday, June 23, 2008 listed from newest to oldest.



Subscribe to Culture


Steel Wheels, Green Fields: A Day on an Illinois Freight Train

crossing2.jpg

We hear them moaning in the dead of night, curse if they cross our paths when we are driving, or make a wish if they pass over us.

Freight trains are a part of our landscape.

I had an opportunity to take a trip on one of those monsters and talk to the engineer about life on the rails. This reporting took place under-the-radar of the train company, so I have blurred certain facts, places and names. Other than that, everything reported here is truth, exaggeration or hearsay.

Stepping out of the car by the railroad crossing, I find myself alone, surrounded by hectares of horizon. Awkwardly, I stand by the side of the two-lane country road and pretend to be a corn photographer as the occasional truck driver passes and looks me over.

Continue Reading | Comments (4) | |