“When you say you don’t have time to train, what you are really saying is that you’ve chosen not to train.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

As I think about favorite settings and scenes from movies, those involving trains are nearly always near the top of my list. Adventure. Romance. Mystery. Intrigue. Think James Bond, Ethan Hunt, and most any Jackie Chan character in a running gunfight atop one and narrowly dodging an approaching tunnel, signal mast, or opposing locomotive as they brawl; Murder on the Orient Express, Silver Streak, Bullet Train, and practically any of the great westerns fit. Some of the zaniest Three Stooges bits were aboard trains, and the New Year’s Eve journey in 1983’s Trading Places is still a favorite scene from that comedy classic. Even Rowling’s Hogwarts Express and the animated Polar Express sate fascination.

Long before Tickle Me Elmo, Pokemon, and everything super-hero, train sets of all types were wish list toppers for many youth, perhaps due in part to their surprising detail. I’ve always been impressed at the realism and intricacy of model layouts, and enjoy discovering when a local diner still has a replica rail system circuitously routed around its upper walls. As with the hobbyist’s impressive layout, I find myself easily lost to imagination watching it complete its circuit over and over; and admittedly more disappointed than I should be when one is rendered little more than a dusty, neglected static display.

Am I the only person who still delights in watching locomotives circle the ceiling of a restaurant, rumble through town, or across the countryside? Or heartbroken there’s no longer use for a working caboose?

I credit my dad and growing up in a rail-heavy area with sparking this preoccupation. Not only did my dad once take me to visit a friend who operated a now obsolete manual switching station (pictured), he also took me and my siblings on the Amtrak from Battle Creek to Chicago! From visiting the museums to eating downtown at Wimpy’s (namesake of the mooching Popeye character who would ‘gladly pay you Tuesday for hamburger today’), a lifetime of memories were made.

So, too, a lasting draw to trains and travel on board.

Excluding the work of porters, conductors, spies, villains, action-heroes, and mustached monocle-wearing super-sleuths, taking the train successfully reduces life to a slower pace. I don’t mean to overstate the obvious, but rail travel takes patience. Excluding commuters, if you’re in a hurry to get to there, you’re probably not planning to take a passenger train. Rail travel preloads patience through expectation management; you expect it to be leisurely and afford time and attention ordinarily devoted to driving, backseat driving, or jockeying for position on the shared armrest be given to other things. Perhaps that mental break and relaxed pace are precisely why to consider this method of travel.

Historically (and quite necessarily) on time, there’s added benefit in yielding to the compulsory predictability of the rail system’s timepiece. Even when rare delays occur along the way, programmed pauses to refuel, restock, or change crew afford abundant liberty unto an on-time arrival. In fact, I’ve often found the generous space, independence from watching the road, and freedom to move about particularly advantageous to business travel. For instance, as a senior enlisted leader I sometimes traveled by train when making unit visits. Because those trips didn’t involve me driving, bouncing around in a helicopter, or cramped on an airplane, I used time onboard to work on presentations and award packages; write commendations, performance reviews, or speeches; respond to email; review expectations and visit itinerary; catch up on reading; or even sneak a power nap.

An added bonus was a unique opportunity for informal mentoring.

As the nearest depot was usually some distance from base, I would ask that the unit choose one or two junior enlisted or company grade officers to receive me. Not only did this bless me with the opportunity to meet people I usually hadn’t met before, it also provided uninterrupted windshield time to discuss personal life, family, professional and educational goals, and gain insight into what was going right, where I could improve, and how the organization and I could best help them reach their goals.

Even business travel is a pleasure by train.

There’s a measure of comfort found in steadfast onward locomotion. No wrong turns, flat tires, road rage, or traffic signals. Notwithstanding the occasional jolt, jerk, rattle, or shake, there’s something mesmerizing about the sway and steady rumble of these diesel behemoths lumbering along their predetermined route. Proximate, yet temporarily absent a world they now spectate, riders are contained comfortably within a sort of rolling theater, where similar performances can be seen with passage through any given town: wreckers hooking wrecks, hookers catching looks, dogs walking walkers, and cops nabbing crooks. Lights, signs, signals, and lanes…how much better to be on a train?

A lot better.

Temporarily furloughed from the tyrannical spin of the clock and busyness of life, passengers enjoy an ever changing landscape. There’s freedom to spread out, move about, relax, or pay a visit to the club car where food, drinks, card games and conversations are readily available. While not always possible or necessary, a private room can add much to the overall experience which includes dining, additional privacy, a bed to sleep in, and other things impossible to enjoy by airplane, bus, or automobile. Such as kicking off your shoes for an evening glass of wine after an excellent meal in the dining car, perhaps followed by a relaxing read as dusk settles into the picturesque landscape rolling by outside; or enjoying daily quiet time while dawn breaks through the curtains and sunbeams dance gracefully across haystacks, two-tracks, and steel-roof shacks…as waking travelers, enticed by hot coffee and a fine breakfast, emerge their berths ready for another day’s travel.

Any wonder why it’s my favorite way to travel?

In his book A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles’ main character astutely notes that “a man must master his circumstances or otherwise be mastered by them.” The same principle appears in Arnold’s opening quote, though contextually related to fitness: you don’t find time, you make time.

Taking time to share some lighter fare has been fun, but provided merely a glimpse into one of the truly enjoyable ways I make time to master my circumstances whenever possible. I encourage you to get on-board and see for yourself.

Make time to train.

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

^{Towles, A. (2016). A gentleman in Moscow. Penguin Books.}