That's an impressive collection of rail experiences there, Track! Maybe a book should be in your future?

Outside of the Orient Express, I'm not at all familiar with European trains past or present. Unlike so many youth of my generation, I eschewed the seemingly obligatory trip to Europe where a backpack and a Eurailpass were your best friends.

Indeed, I didn't set foot on the continent until I was 44 years old. Instead, I spent the 80s and 90s traveling extensively through Oceania and South America, and although much of South America's long distance intercity rail network had fallen into disrepair by the mid-nineties, I still found some exciting rides in Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina.

Thankfully I was blessed to have ridden most all of New Zealand's main intercity trains on both islands (especially nice because they were everyday public transport trains back then - not the gaudy tourist trains that remain today) as well as some of the rural worker's trains that operated in the Atherton Tablelands in the far north of Queensland.

Alas, I overslept and missed my chance to log a flight aboard an East West F.28 on one trip.

I did however manage a ride aboard the Trans-Siberian /Trans-Mongolian straight through from Moscow to Beijing back in 2017.

For awhile in the early 2000s, Alaska had a wonderful award redemption where a mere 20000 would net you a roundtrip roomette anywhere along the route of Amtrak's Coast Starlight.

I've got a few rides already booked aboard Amtrak this year. Who knows - maybe someday I might buy you a drink and trade train tales in the Sightseer Lounge Car 🚆 🚂