Trained Savant

Stretch in Jackson, TN

Los Angeles, CA—

Stretch has deep knowledge of trains and their schedules in these contiguous United States, all of which he has ridden in.

You could say, “Stretch, how do I get from, say, Trinidad, Colorado to Spokane, Washington?” He would say, “Well you catch such-and-such a line from this yard in Trinidad. It’s scheduled to leave at ten but is usually about 15 minutes late. Then, it’ll stop at this time in this yard. Switch to track two. Those guys are friendly, it’s usually a cab ride for me.” Which means he knows the guys on the train and they let him ride in the warm locomotive on padded seats. “Ride that to Sacramento, which you’ll know from the smell of such and such, walk to this rail yard two miles away and get on this train, which ends in Spokane.” It’s something I think one can gain only by lots of trial-and-good-lord,-Where-am-I-now? experience.