Wallphotos: Train rides

Compartment C, Car 293 by Edward Hopper

"Of all modes of transport, the train is perhaps the best aid to thought: the views have none of the potential monotony of those on a ship or plane. They move fast enough for us not to get exasperated, but slowly enough to allow us to identify objects. They offer us brief, inspiring glimpses into private domains, letting us see a woman at the moment when she takes a cup from a shelf in her kitchen, before carrying us on to a patio where a man is sleeping and then to a park where a child is catching a ball thrown by a figure we cannot see."
via Tate

Since young, I have been fascinated with train rides but did not put further thoughts to why this interest. It was the mode of transport my mum would usually use when bringing us to her home town in Malaysia. Perhaps it was a mere excitement of travelling back then, but over the years, having tried other modes of transport, the charm of train rides stayed on me. Perhaps it was more of a nostalgic feeling or perhaps, it was really the inspiring glimpses of passing scenes, as how the above paragraph best put it, that made each ride so appealing.

Compartment C is not the most classic work of Edward Hopper, but amongst his various works, and apart from Rooms by the Sea (again not his most classic work but said to be his most unusual), this attracted me most, bringing memories of childhood days.

Whenever possible, I try to take a ride on the local trains when visiting other countries, the latest being Myanmar. Whether it was looking within the cabin, out at the passing landscapes, or even looking into the cabin from the platform, intriguing scenes are plentiful.