By Kevin S. Giles

•  You’ll see some of the best creative graffiti in America in the switching yards of Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana.

•  You’ll see some of the best forgotten (rusted) classic cars anywhere huddled in rows on farm property alongside the tracks.

•  Riding “coach” on Amtrak’s Empire Builder improves your tolerance for snoring, nose-blowing and occasional disruptive cell phone chatter (especially at night).

•  Strangers on phone calls sometimes loudly volunteer a name, phone number, email address and credit card number.

Pay attention to who’s aboard

•  Trains are full of interesting Amish and Hutterite families.

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•  Trains draw adventurers who relish comparing life experiences.

Amtrak’s Empire Builder streams over Marias Pass near Glacier National Park. I took this photo from my passenger car.

•  Watching the landscape pass by feeds the soul.

•  Flames from oil wells draw interest from after-dark patrons of the dining car.

•  Eating in the dining car is as much about introduction as sustenance, as you be seated with strangers who vary in their conversational skills

•  If you travel overnight on a train, bring a blanket and warm clothes.

•  Bring a deep book of literature that makes you think, as you will engage in long periods of reflection.

•  Be quiet in the designated “quiet car.”

•  Take note of the mighty rivers that pass the windows, for they have seen history that reaches beyond our imaginations.

More advice for the train traveler

•  Don’t presume that people who ride trains have no money to fly.

•  Revel in the joy of watching nature’s beauty without having to watch the road.

•  Horse and cattle often appear in the most remote places.

The novel ‘Summer of the Black Chevy’ by Kevin S. Giles grew from memories of his hometown. The novel also takes place there, in Deer Lodge, Montana.

•  Recognize that the first question non-train travelers ask is, “Did you get a sleeper?” And no, because to me paying $300 or more per night on top of regular fare isn’t good value, even with meals included.

•  Most everybody on a train is your friend. Some aren’t.

•  Show compassion for disabled and elderly train travelers, for there are many.

•  You’ll note from a train window that bales of hay outnumber everybody you ever knew.

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Western Montana native Kevin S. Giles wrote the popular prison nonfiction work Jerry’s Riot, the coming-of-age novel Summer of the Black Chevy, and a biography of Montana congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, One Woman Against War, which is an expanded version of his earlier work, “Flight of the Dove.” His new novel, Headline: FIRE! is the third in the Red Maguire series. Masks, Mayhem and Murder is the second. The first is “Mystery of the Purple Roses.” More information is available at https://kevinsgiles.com.