ON THE COVER
In America's sturdy young days, "watching the train come in" ranked with husking bees, picnics and church socials as the most popular public entertainment. And the grassy slope beside the Alexandria, Va., passenger station any pleasant summer evening offers evidence that despite the wide variety of modern amusements, "train watching, remains a popular pastime.
Kids still wave at the engineer, breaking into delighted grins when the master of all this power and speed returns their friendly salute. And the green and white diesels trailing shiny streamlined cars seem like their own toy trains grown into friendly giants.