National Train Day Saturday 9th May

Here it is, National Train Day has arrived. The first National Train Day was held last year to celebrate the 140th aniversary of the 'Golden Spike' when America's first transcontinental railway was opened. It is a celebration of passenger trains in America and there are events all over the country for you to visit. You can find out all about Train Day, find out about events and join the Facebook community at the National Train Day website. This year's exhibits include the themes of 'Moving Green' and 'Trains move our economy', both pretty relevant issues at this time. You can download a preview of the 'Trains move our economy' exhibit here. It includes details of President Obama's plans for a US high speed rail network. For anyone who has travelled in America by rail you will know that while the trains are great, the network is not at all comprehensive. Many huge urban areas only see one train a day, if any, and many parts of the country lack any rail service at all. The plans won't of course provide trains everywhere they are needed but it is a good step in the right direction.

By the way, the icon above is one of a number you can choose for your Facebook page. I choose this one because I happen to think trains are much more fun with two :)

For now though, enjoy Train Day and be inspired for your next holiday. I wonder if we could have a train day here in the UK to highlight all that is good about our rail system...