when a train is more than a train

My paternal great-grandfather was president of the Chicago Great Western Railway for four years. He had his own train car and a personalized set of fine china during that part of his career. He truly lived the American dream, literally working his way up from the mail room. Between Wikipedia and family stories passed down, I still don't know much more about him. Only that he had a wonderful sense of humor, and he invited my dad (during his adolescent years) up to Chicago several times to spend the day and watch Cubs games.

I've now taken the Amtrak to Chicago twice in as many months. The fact that my great-grandpa worked for the railroad makes the trip feel like I'm somehow connecting with my roots, not merely taking advantage of a convenient transportation method. I don't know if he took that route often, or if the Amtrak is even related to the CGWR. I wonder how much the rail system has changed since he retired, and how different the Chicago of today is from the Chicago he knew.

I wish I knew more about what he did during his life and career, beyond the three sentences on Wikipedia and a handful of family stories. I wish I could better connect that part of the past with my present. I never met him. He died 4 years before I was born.