Between the Misty Mountains

As I begin this account, I sit in a tastefully lit coach car of the Amtrak Cascades, departing in 13 minutes on the three-and-a-half-hour journey from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington. This activity alone makes me unusual, in an American context. Seattle King Street station — the fifth-busiest in the country — carries as many passengers yearly as embark or arrive at Chorley, Lancashire. As a consequence, train travel in America is…