Rusty Rails was written in September of 2020, though the idea had been floating around in my head for a long time before that. What precipitated it was seeing unused tracks at many of the towns around the North Shore of Lake Superior. Most of them were meant to carry ore cars down to the loading locks. But, some had been general freight transport between towns.
Additional memories are from my childhood in Upstate New York. Many small towns depended on rail traffic before upgraded highways made transport easier. The same could be said for parts of Minnesota and other states.
One thing about this is that, lately, railroad companies have been pulling the rails and the local communities have taken over the old rail beds for walking paths and bike trails. I’m good with that. At the same time, I miss those rails.