Sometimes I feel like I\’m getting railroaded.

I hope young children can keep their fascination with \”choo-choos\” as long as possible; but I, for one, have no great liking for trains.

This morning, when I was still about four blocks from home, there was a freight train coming along from the opposite direction. For some reason it was blaring its horn for a crossing that no longer exists. OUCH! My ears did not like that.

Shortly I reached my usual crossing; and dismounted to wait for the train to clear. It was a very long one; and wouldn\’t you know? The dratted thing stopped.

I waited a minute or two, and the train hadn\’t started up again. There was no telling how long it might sit there, so I headed for the next crossing, 0.3 miles away. That crossing, too, was blocked by the train. If it had only moved along the length of about three cars, the crossing would have been clear. The train was still immobile, too.

The next crossing was another 0.7 miles away, which meant I had taken quite a detour by the time I finally reached home. By then, the train had gone. I probably would have done much better to wait for it to move. That drives me crazy.

Last year or the year before, trains would sit and sit for several days! It might easily be 24 hours before a train blocking a crossing would finally be split so that the crossing was clear. I didn\’t know what was up with all that.

One day, I saw large bundles of railroad ties at my crossing; and realized that they\’d been replacing ties. I hope they don\’t start that again for about another 20 years! I\’m tired of getting railroaded.