I haven’t lived in the city for ten years now. I live in a quiet suburb of Montreal on the West Island called Pierrefonds. I still go into the city regularly, however, because many of my friends and activities that I pursue are minimum thirty five minutes away. 

There are two main traffic arteries to get to the city from here by car. Highways 40 and 20. Depending on where I want to go determines which artery I will take. I often travel to boroughs in the south west (NDG, Verdun, Lachine, Montreal West), so I will choose the 20. Anything North or East of these destinations I will probably choose the 40.

I prefer the 20 because it runs parallel to the major rail corridor between Canada’s two largest cities and more often than not I see any combination of freight or passenger trains. I inherited my love of trains from my paternal grandfather. Papa used to subscribe to The Railway Magazine (British)and every six months or so got the issues bound together. My dad inherited a shelf full of Railway Magazines and held onto them until he had to downsize. The bound magazines were donated to the railway museum in St. Constant. 

I love trains. I marvel at the system that manages the traffic. It is not uncommon for me to witness 100 car long trains of mixed type (tankers, boxcars, flatbeds, container trolleys, etc.) going in either direction. 

Sometimes a train will just be idling waiting for another to pass, sometimes a train’s speed means we are racing neck and neck and conversely the combined speed of our two conveyances pass each other at 200km/hr. Once in a while I see the silver VIA train carrying people to and from Toronto, Kingston, etc. more often I will see the EXO commuter train that serves the West Island. 

I think about what a huge industry rail transportation is. Must employ tens of thousands of people across Canada. Of course the rails connect to trucking hubs and ports where cargo transfers. Huge.

Even better than seeing the trains is taking them. Resident Passengers over 65 get to ride public transit in Montreal for free. My doctor’s office is adjacent to Vendome station, so I take the train to medical appointments. I love ripping along in comfort and not having my mind on the road. I love not having to find parking or having to deal with detours etc. 

It’s not all peaches and cream though. Recently A friend was on the train to Montreal from Ottawa and the train had to stop in Alexandria because there had been a derailment of a freight train further on down the line. Frustrating when a two to three hour trip becomes an eight hour ordeal. Fortunately these are the exceptions and not the rule. Still better than needing a tow on the highway.

Elizabeth Cotten put it more succinctly.

Freight train, Freight train, run so fast Freight train, Freight train, run so fast Please don’t tell what train I’m on They won’t know what route I’ve gone When I am dead and in my grave No more good times here I crave Place the stones at my head and feet Tell them all that I’ve gone to sleep. When I die, Lord, bury me deep Way down on old Chestnut street Then I can hear old Number 9 As she comes rolling by.