Today we will look at a piece of art that I created and see if I can find something to say that might resonate with you. Take a slow look at the feature image above to help get you into the mind space to dig deeper into your soul. What do you see? What do you feel? What do you hear?
The feature image, seen above, was something I created very recently with a very limited color palette. It was a lot of fun to experiment with added textures, all created by me as well, to see what would eventually show up. Before I added the corrugated look, it was flat and looked as seen below.
Long Train Running – Original Flat Image – Created by Don Cheke
To enhance it further, I created a 3D corrugated panel and image wrapped the flat digital painting to it. I added some material gloss. Again, seen below.
Long Train Running – Created by Don Cheke
Once complete, I decided to call the painting “Long Train Running,” as the painted panel reminded me of graffiti on the side of a train car. As you can see, I added the title text to the panel as well, although it did look fine without it. I guess that by adding the text, I wanted to help direct the viewer in that direction.
Looking at the image, it seems to me that the circular paths represent routes of travel, perhaps with all the breaks and “noise” representing happenings in life, or uncertainties. Perhaps the large eye shaped area on the right symbolizes the need to keep an eye on where one is going. Perhaps the intersecting paths indicates that we will cross many paths with others on this journey we call life.
In case you didn’t make the connection, the title of the piece is based on the Doobie Brother’s song Long Train Runnin’, which got me thinking about the romantic notion of trains, and how they often feature in songs and other written works. Here are the first couple of verses of the Doobie Brother’s song to help wet your whistle.
Down around the corner
Half a mile from here
See them long trains runnin’
And you watch ’em disappear
Without love
Where would you be now?
Know I saw Miss Lucy
Down along the tracks
She lost her home and her family
And she won’t be coming back
Without love
Where would you be right now?
Can you think of some songs that feature trains? How about:
“City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie
“Peace Train” by Cat Stevens
“Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight & The Pips
“Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees
“The Last Train To London” by Electric Light Orchestra
“Locomotive Breath” by Jethro Tull
Can you think of some books or stories that feature trains? How about:
“Murder on the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie
“The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg
“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
“The Orphan Train” by Christina Baker Klein
“The Little Engine that Could” by Watty Piper
“The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead (not specifically railroad/train, but more metaphorically so)
As you know, the train is very symbolic about things coming and things going. It is symbolic of life too, as we travel along the rails of life encountering this and that. We encounter different environments, different people, different ports of call if you will. This is probably why trains are so popular in songs and stories.
On the morning that I was discussing the topic of trains and this blog post with Denise, she mentioned that she had just read the obituary of a man named Dennis Johnson who passed away on April 4, 2025, at the age of 87 years. This is not someone she or I knew. At the end of the obituary an uncredited poem was presented. As coincidence would have it, it was about the train of life. I did a Google search and found that it is something that is often used in obituaries and is typically credited to James Tippett (1885 – 1958). The version in the obituary was tweaked slightly, but I have added the original below. It is pretty apt for this blog post.
The Train of Life by James Tippett
At birth, we board the train and meet our parents, and we believe they will always travel by our side.
As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life.
However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.
Others will step down over time and leave a permanent vacuum.
Some, however, will go so unnoticed that we don’t realize they vacated their seats.
This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells.
Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves.
The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down.
So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.
It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty, we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.
I too have had a bit of a fascination with trains, as the mechanical wonders that they are. Below are a couple of CAD models and renders that I produced over the years.
Prairie Line EMD FP7 Diesel Locomotive – Modeled in TurboCAD and Rendered in KeyShot by Don Cheke
HRI EMD GP30C Diesel Locomotive – Modeled in TurboCAD and Rendered in KeyShot by Don Cheke
Here is a photo I took and image-edited many years ago. I have always loved the look of this new looking beauty.
Canadian Pacific 8816 Diesel Locomotive – Photo & Photo Editing by Don Cheke
To end this blog post on a funnier note, remember, trains, like church bells, wind chimes, and children, 😊 should been seen but not heard. Yes, they are all cute or lovely in their own way – but the noise they make – not so much. LOL! Truth be told, I find that the noise they produce just disturbs the peace, just like back-up beepers and sports announcers, oh, and talk-radio mouthpieces. 😊 Just sayin’.
Just so you know that two people with differing views can live in harmony, my wife Denise finds the whistle of a train to be a symbol of life and energy and power. She takes a moment to ponder this when the whistle blows.
How do trains feature in your life?
Donald B. Cheke – May 19, 2025