Mostly the riders were families with young children. Maybe we aren't just a car culture after all. According to the proprietor of my local bookshop, one of the most popular children's books is still The Little Engine That Could, even though many kids have never seen an actual train. Grownups in large numbers collect model trains and railroad memorabilia, subscribe to railroad magazines, and buy railroad CDs and videos. Our music, from folk to blues to rock and roll, still celebrates Casey Jones, the Midnight Special, and Eric Clapton's train that that kept a-rollin' all night long.
Trains frequently serve as metaphors.
I rest my case. But the most important thing to remember is that trains have important economic and environmental benefits as well as aesthetic advantages. Freight trains are up to nine times more efficient than trucks. Trains can encourage more compact land-use patterns and concentrate economic development around town centers, rather than contributing to urban sprawl, as highways invariably do. Trains can help revitalize old downtown areas that were originally built around rail.