Long train journeys I have made contribute to this image, notably, the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco which takes 3 days. The title MIDNIGHT SPECIAL comes from the famous Blues railroad song by Leadbelly. The long-distance train has been used as a fascinating collection of interacting characters. In music we have Steve Reich’s DIFFERENT TRAINS and the famous PACIFIC 231 by Arthur Honegger. One of the first films ever made and shown publicly was of a train approaching a station. Since then, trains have featured in many cinema epics (my favourite is buster Keaton’s THE GENERAL). Our fascination with the emotive resonances of trains is ongoing. On my train you can find Abraham Lincoln, dancers, butchers, film makers, elephants and generals settling a war. The train is a wonderful metaphor for the complicated life journeys we all undertake. As you rush along you encounter contradictions and surprises along the way. At the front is the engine. Mine is called “In Loco Parentis”.

All my trains have real life inspirations, but deep in my mind are also those lovely clockwork tin plate toy railways of which I have a big collection. The essence of the toy is a manufactured simplicity which bares little resemblance to real trains but conjures up a train utopia.

 Chris Orr June 2024