Joseph's Railroad Dreams
Elementary: Grades 3–4
Story
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Joseph loved riding the trains in his city, but he dreamed of even longer trips. More than a thousand trains a day went from Chicago to all over the country, to the mountains in the west and to big cities like New York in the east. Joseph was nine years old, and he had loved trains since he was four. He was ready to take the train someplace far away. He started to make plans.
Joseph told Lily about his idea. "That would be a long ride, Joseph," she said, shaking her head. She was thirteen, and she thought that her brother's interest in trains was odd. Joseph talked about trains all the time, and he always pestered her to take him on the "L" or to the rail yard to watch the machines rumble past.
Joseph wouldn't let the idea go. "But Lily, they have Pullman cars that are like hotels on wheels. We'd feel like a king and queen!" he said, his eyes sparkling.
Lily smiled and shrugged, "It would be a long ride, but it could be fun, I guess. Maybe someday."
Joseph told his grandfather about his plans. "Once, I rode the train halfway across the country," his grandfather chuckled. "It was many years ago, before those Pullman cars came along. It was an uncomfortable trip. The seats were hard as rocks. There was no food on the train. Overnight, we had to stay in hotels in small towns along the way—and some of them were not very nice!"
"But now it's different, Grandpa," Joseph explained. "There are dining cars and sleeping cars, and they don't cost much more than a regular ticket. You even eat off china, like at a fancy restaurant."
Joseph's grandfather smiled and shrugged. "A long ride would be an adventure."
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The next day, his grandfather gave Joseph an old book, Rand McNally's Western Railway Guide. It was a travel guide for planning trips west by train. On the front was a picture of a grand steam engine, with people waiting at a station to board.
Joseph couldn't put the book down. Even though it was old and out of date, it was perfect for planning his dream trip. It told everything you might want to know—where to go, what trains to take, and what cities were best for making overnight stops.
Joseph spent days with his nose buried in its pages. Tucked inside the cover was a folded map. It showed how to go around the world by train and steamer boat, starting and ending in Chicago. What a trip that would be, Joseph imagined. "You're going to know more about the train lines than the conductors do!" Lily teased.
"Of course!" Joseph answered.
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