I spend a lot of time on trains--no its not a country song

I spend a lot of time on trains. I know that it sounds like a title of a country song, but it is actually jut an observation of the truth. when the boys were small, Jarrett was fascinated with trains so I would use every opportunity to use the train and ride the big machines of his dreams. easy since the gotrain was the fastest way to downtown Toronto from our house.
there is something elemental about the train: it produces a visceral response unlike any other form of transportation. perhaps, it is the assault of your senses all at once: the smell of the diesel fuel, the rumble of the floor as the steel wheels ride the rails, the sound of engine and the screaming whistle as it announces the departure or arrival. all combine into an experience like no other; or it could be the historical romance of the train; our first form of mass transit, whose tracks were built with the blood and tears of our newly budding nation.
Trains are part of most modern art forms: paintings of the formation of Canada as a nation, writings by our foremost authors and songs of various genres that detail their history and cement their place in our lives. I wish that it was one of these artistic reasons are why I love the train. but at the heart of it, I am always Connor's pragmatic mother.
So why do I love trains?? because 8 years ago, for the first time, Connor and I were able to travel independent of help all because of the VIA rail train.
I had already discovered that our gotrain was the easiest for day trips to Toronto but it wasn't until Connor's first Christmas home from university that I truly discovered the beauty and joy of train travel.
 When travelling with VIA rail, a person in a wheelchair travels first class, since this is the only car large enough to accommodate the wheelchair. Unfortunately, the reason behind this is not as altruistic as it sounds. VIA rail fought this accommodation for  10 years and millions of dollars, the result of which was a retrofit of their business class cars. It is even more complicated. in order for the person in the wheelchair to travel, they must have their own attendant if they require ANY assistance. (I will be honest, I did not mind since I got to travel first class!) VIA's answer to a "wheelchair lift" is a narrow manual contraption that requires manoeuvres of a paraplegic Houdini.
 To be fair, trains apparently last much longer than any other form of transportation, so retrofitting was a sensible option and caring for someone with  a disability is not something you want to be thrown into, so it is only reasonable to  provide your own attendant.
However, I do believe that they could spring for a reasonable facsimile of a lifting system; or at least one that does not resemble a forklift on steroids.
Connor had only been away from home 3 months the first time we rode together. I had flown down to Ottawa so that I had now time to check out what we were getting into and I was still in full blown helicopter mother hen mode. We did not know that we were actually travelling first class, only that is where we were sitting--that was my first mistake. as a first class passenger, you sit in a special lounge and board before the other passengers; that way the people assisting the wheelchair occupant know exactly where you are and can pre-board you . I on the other hand was sitting on the wrong side of the terminal: they knew we were there somewhere but couldn't find us! as a result, we almost missed our train.
Wheelchair patrons are loaded with the VIA assistant, they can cross the tracks; other passengers cannot. we had to take a tunnel under the track. If you want to witness a crazy, frantic mother, picture me , unable to find Connor on a train that is about to pull away from the station; trying to make myself understood to the heavily Quebecois staff--it was Ottawa after all!
Despite my flight into insanity, we did find each other and he was well strapped in and comfortably seated. as I noted, I thought we were only sitting in first class, not travelling first class--we were actually travelling first class! Nothing can compare to it! 5 hours of exquisite service and food beyond compare. When we arrived in a snow storm, we were happy, content and relaxed from the trip sharing the glorious memory of being totally spoiled for 5 hours. it was an amazing way to start the festive season.
Since then we have travelled back and forth from Ottawa--together and separate--to various destinations. We are much more savvy about the loading and unloading routine:all the ins and outs of the lounge, lift and washrooms. we have met some extraordinary people who have shared our seats and shard our lives. the universe always seems to have the exactly right person share our trip at exactly the right time. all have amazing narratives of their own to enrich our own. I never think of those 5 hours as wasted time--always as some new network or learning experience. Connor is always welcomed on the train and quite frankly is spoiled rotten! the staff dote on him and many, especially at the Ottawa station have become familiar faces, always looking out for us. the train has truly turned out to be "The most civilized way to travel"--at least from Ottawa with my boy.