Re: American Railroads
Here's a link to a fascinating
railway station and theatre we came across in 2004. Westport, way up in NY State, in the Adirondacks, near to Lake Placid where they held winter olympics a while ago.
It's on the line between Montreal and New York city.
A single line, I think single track most of the route, with one train each way per day (honest! - and you say British Rail is/was bad!)
Anyway - the fascinating and amazing thing is that the rail station is also The Depot Theatre/Theater, and is available for drama for the majorityof the time when there are no trains. Our train back to Monreal was an hour or so late arriving (nothing remarkable in that) so I spent a lot of the wait talking to the lady in the costume dept. I suggested she should press-gang waiting passengers into sewing on a few buttons etc to pass the time!
The train/locomotive was unremakable - a giant mechanical thing - but I loved the porters, the courtesy (yes sir/ma'am) and the conductor placing the steps to allow one to alight at the teeny stations ... it's walk on from platforms at the city stations but no platforms elsewhere, so you need assistance to alight.
Ah, memories