Who loves train travel?

I love to travel by train. When we were gallivanting through Europe years ago, we went from country-to-country and from city-to-city by train. As a matter of fact that trip was where I got the idea for my latest novel, a travel thriller titled Destination: Unknown.  This one is sure to be a crowd pleaser, so be on the lookout for its release this fall.

My love of trains and train stations started as a young girl in Hoboken.  My siblings and I would walk down to the tracks and watch as car-after-car of the Erie Lackawanna trains, went by along  the hill that separates Hoboken and Jersey City.  I would be mesmerized by the amount of cars, sometimes as many as 100 or more, as the train hooted, the engines puffed, and the clanking sound of metal over metal was heard. I guess you could say it was music to my ears.

To this day, I am still excited at the sound the trains make, especially since I live just blocks away from the railroad--the train goes past our town along the Hackensack River.  On occasion, I will hop on it into Hoboken's Path station.

I also enjoy visiting my sister in Jersey City because I get a chance to watch the Light Rail in action. Iris lives in the Heights, just three blocks away and an elevator ride down the hill to the train stop, again in Hoboken. 

Some of you may already know about my love of trains from a post of several years ago in which I talk about the Light Rail --a bittersweet time when my late Mami was visiting from Puerto Rico--another subject very dear to my heart.  I could write an entire book on Mami, but for now I will have to be content with sharing my love of locomotives.

The most fun I've had riding the rails, was five years ago when we went to Europe and visited 11 countries and over 22 cities, most of them by train. The ones that struck me the most were the old trains in the Czech Republic.  They are a trainophile's delight!  For your viewing pleasure I've posted some pictures.

My latest train adventure was just two weeks ago en el Tren Urbano de San Juan.  Through God's grace I found myself taking care of personal business/vacation on the sunny island of Puerto Rico.   Running from Rio Piedras to Bayamon with innumerable spots, this rail line is every trainophile's dream—clean, modern, and speedy.  Call me a railfan, rail or train buff.  Any way you cut it, that's me.  Cross another one off that bucket list.  Yeah!