Some ramblings on trains
If I didn't go to college and major in something "important" (whatever that means), I would be a train or subway conductor. I don't know why, but I always imagined it would be interesting. I'm sure it's just like any other job, but every time I see a train (particularly subway trains) and I briefly lock eyes with the sleepy-looking conductor driving the thing, I'm always trying to infer how well they like their job. They usually look miserable as hell, but I have no idea why. You're in a train! Trains are fun!
It must be a child-like obsession of mine. I prefer trains over cars and would rather take a subway or a tram any day. I also prefer them to planes and love just sitting on the train, looking out the window, seeing the changing landscape. I also get so much reading done.
I remember when I first moved to NYC feeling like everyone was so well-read. Back in the day (before stations had WIFI) there was no cellular service underground, so you had no choice but to read, so everybody read. Back then, you could tell how popular a book was by how often you saw people reading it on the subway. I used to love just checking out what other people were reading, and often times I would notice people eyeing my book, trying to see what I was reading.
Unfortunately, that whole book culture no longer exists cause people are on phones and e-readers now, but even without it, I still would prefer sitting on a train with strangers than sitting in a car all by myself, where I learn nothing new or see anything interesting. Just me with the same ol' thoughts listening to the same ol' music, while the strangers are on the outside. And instead of me and the strangers being this cohesive unit traveling together, the strangers are now my enemies who I have to dodge and avoid colliding with behind the wheel of a car. I just find it energetically sad.
Also, as someone who works alone at home, I like feeling connected to strangers when I'm on a train. Most of the time I don't speak to anyone, but you can tell so much about a person sometimes by how they're dressed or by the expression on their face. There have been so many times I brushed across a stranger and you could tell they were in their own personal drama. Then, once the doors opened and they left, they would take their drama with them, but at least I got to see a glimpse of it, of someone else's world.
You also don't create stories while driving alone in a car. But I can think of a ton of stories from riding trains, from crazy people to eccentrics, to polite ones to rude ones.
I was once in Morocco sharing a train car with two other strangers. One of them, a woman, decided to lay down on the seat to take a nap, and she used the man next to her as her pillow. The man looked shocked but was too shy to say anything. My husband and I were watching her and thinking, "Wow, this woman is really rude!"
When the train stopped, the man jumped up and left. The woman then turned to me and, almost like a child, pouted for me to get her suitcase down, as if I were a train employee. At that point I realized the woman was a bit of a spoiled brat. I sighed and obliged, pulling the suitcase down as quickly as I could and walking away. But when I turned back I noticed the woman was silently holding her cheek, as if she had been slapped. My husband later told me that I accidentally hit her in the face as I was bringing the suitcase down, and the woman probably thought I had slapped her on purpose (maybe subconsciously I did?).
We were laughing about it for the rest of the trip, but it's stories like that that you experience while on a train. I never have "car" stories. I do have "plane" stories, but the whole experience of flying is so unpleasant, whatever quirky stories you get aren't really worth it in the end. Trains still win, hands down.
But that's just the commuter experience. I think conducting a train would be fun, too. On the D train in NYC (where it runs express from Harlem to Columbus Circle) there used to be a conductor who would get on the intercom and just ramble about her day ("Good morning, everyone! It's currently 8:35am and it's 80 degrees outside. It's a beautiful day, and I hope you all are blessed!") This was quite unusual for NYC as most conductors don't say jack all, but this woman clearly loved her job. She got to drive the subway! I used to feel happy just hearing her talk.
Practicality speaking, it's a good-paying job with decent benefits, but nerd-speaking, you get to see the inner workings of the train, become knowledgeable on the whole rail system, and be an important cog in the machine that keeps the city running. I'm sure there are days that feel redundant or bureaucratic and annoying, but at least you're not trapped at your desk all day or staring into a screen, only to go home and stare at a screen some more.
But all this is probably just me being naive and fantastical over things I really don't know much about. What is it about trains that make it so easy to romanticize? I'm not sure, but cars and planes should hire their PR person.