Like we hop on planes these days – or we did before the pandemic – there was a time not so long ago that train travel was the rule not the exception. Train travel remains rather expensive if you’re going on a long journey.

The cost reversal reminds me of the truth that once upon a time everyone had a horse but only the rich had a car – now everyone has a car and only the rich have a horse. IT seems like only the rich can afford train travel of any distance….

At any rate I was looking at some historical documents and came across this website that looks at the lives of the porters who rode the rails. As a kid I remember being on the train and seeing the porters working, getting our berth ready at night or helping to put it away during the day….it’s a vague memory but I do have some recollection.

The link here is to The Canadian Museum for Human Rights and outlines the difficult world of black men working as porters. It’s another difficult part of our Canadian history but I think the more we highlight these the better our opportunity to address it and to watch ourselves that we do nothing towards repeating these kinds of actions.