I Will Turn This Train Around

The boy and I were riding Amtrak on the North East Corridor one day. As the train was pulling out of Boston's South Station at the beginning of the journey the conductor's voice came over the public address system making the usual announcements and finishing his comments by proclaiming the rules of the quiet car, saying, "the last car of the train is the quiet car. Talking is allowed in the quiet car only in hushed tones. Using cell phones is not allowed in the quiet car and is punishable by death."

Several people in the car we were riding in chuckled. Later that morning, the conductor announced "I have received reports of talking in the quiet car. Don't make me come back there! I will turn this train around!"

As if that wasn't funny enough, a short-time later, somewhere in Connecticut, the train stopped between stations and two members of the train crew ran by us toward the back of the train. Then the train started backing-up.

My first thought, of course, was that the conductor was following through on his earlier threat about talking in the quiet car. The train ran in reverse for what seemed like twenty minutes, and while it was doing so he announced that the train had missed a signal and would need to clear the track for a north bound train. After sitting for what seemed like another twenty minutes we got on our way southbound again.