Probably because I associate trains with holidays when we were growing up I love trains. One time many years ago I even got to ride a diesel-electric locomotive hauling a passenger train in India — a rare treat. Thanks to YouTube, these days you can get a virtual ride in a locomotive. My favorite train-driver’s view channel is one that goes by the handle HinduCowGirl.
The driver is a Norwegian lady, who I believe is also a sky-diving instructor. She has heaps of videos of the trains she drives. I confess that I spend an inordinate amount of time watching them. All of them are pre-recorded since they don’t have the internet connectivity to live-stream the videos but many are streamed with live chat. It’s fun to hang out with others who share the love of trains. OK, so here’s one of those videos.
When I was little I wanted to be a train driver. That would have been nice. Being a train driver in Europe, especially in Norway, would have been great. The landscape is marvelous and it changes dramatically with the seasons. In the US, being a train driver would not be as much fun because passenger trains are pathetically slow. They have to be because in the US, passenger trains have lower priority than goods trains.
In the US, I would have liked to be a truck driver. The highways are awesome, and the trucks are marvelous beasts. Pity that my first choice (train driver in Norway) and my second choice (truck driver in the US) are out. Therefore I settled on my third choice — economist at large. 🙂
About HinduCowGirl:
Female train driver/engineer working on the Bergen Line in Norway.
The Bergen Line is considered one the most scenic lines in Norway and also connects to the famous Flåm Line (Flam Line) – the steepest railroad in northern Europe.
The name comes from the fascination of cows. The hindus holds the cow sacred and nothing is more peaceful than a hindu cow.
Go watch some HinduCowGirl videos.
Life is a Random Draw 
Thanks for posting the train journey in Norway video. It is 3-hours plus long. I have watched all of it. It is easy to watch and not boring at all. This is one of those situations where virtual experience may substitute for the real thing, as I do not see the need any more for me to go there to travel in person. At some places the train goes through a series of tunnels which look like man made shelters against bad weather rather than passing through hilly obstructions. Also my admiration for the courageous HinduCowGirl train operator who produced the video.
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