Before the flood I took Amtrak between NY and Chicago and found it a vile experience. Then I found myself in need of transportation because of a car accident, which is another story, between Omaha and San Diego. That was when I was an Ensign after the flood but before the invention of electricity. I discovered that Amtrak west of the MIssissippi was a different and more pleasant experience. The small cars used to go through the twisty Eastern tunnel system are part of the reason that Amtrak is so unpleasant. Out west the cars are better. Back then I was able to take the Denver Rio Grande and Western Railway between Denver and Salt Lake City. It was just like train travel should be. White table cloths with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint flirting next to me. Maybe my memory is getting hazy there. Anyway the dwarf line is gone now.
