Peace train

A couple of benches on bridge in Iowa City offer the perfect view of both progress and the past.

The bridge straddles active railway tracks so a person could pause on a daily walk, plop down and ponder the wonder of travel.

A passenger train first made its way to Iowa City on January 3, 1856 and the new little city welcomed it with glee. I imagine folks back then flocked to the two benches on the bridge to wave travelers off on their adventures, and to welcome them home.

I found the whole scene enchanting when I wandered past a few weeks ago. I love the way railway tracks literally and figuratively intersect — connecting the Midwest to the coasts, and today to yesteryear.

Our grade school music teacher taught us a lively song that traced a little of the history of the railroad. As we all belted out “Patsy Orey Orey Aye” I remember thinking about all that back-breaking work and how exciting it must have been to see those big steam engines roll into town.

Thanks to a mom who loves to travel, I have been able to ride the Orient Express twice on magical trips through Peru and Thailand.

I also pass several railway tracks on my regular walks in my home town. Though passenger trains haven’t come through Appleton since 1971, those rails still host plenty of action, both in real life and in my head.

Train tracks work in tandem with the water in river cities like Appleton and I enjoy pondering that relationship as well. Even on the quietest mornings, the walking paths along the Fox River come alive with history. The ghosts of trestles past whisper their stories from one bend, while a new trestle bridge writes fresh chapters from another.

I’d love to sit on a bench on a bridge some warm summer day to watch trains make their way through town.

Time slows down as those trains speed by and you get to wonder about where those railcars are headed, and where they’ve been.