Things with wheels: We got the inside story on Train Kid

You probably know James as either “train kid” or “that guy that roller blades around campus.”

I sat down with him and delved into his world and love of all things with wheels.

In case you need a refresher on the whole “train” thing, here’s a picture he made of himself after freshman orientation:

The photo he posted in the Class of 2017’s Facebook group during Summer 2013

Here’s a quick snapshot of my conversation with James, someone I now consider a friend.

So, what inspired this? Why do you love trains?

When I was young, I loved trains, watching Thomas the Tank Engine, growing up with New Jersey transit a mile or two from house.  As I grew older, I just continued to like them and I thought that there must be something that goes out telling people to not like trains anymore.  And I never got that memo, so I just kept it going.  I’ve always had a hard time making decisions and I kinda love the fact that trains go in a straight line without having to decide to travel left or right or anything like that.  And just in terms of transportation, as I’ve gotten more interested in people and the goings on of the world and what makes it go.

Do you think you’re going to go into a field that has to do with transportation after you graduate?

I interned with New Jersey Transit over the summer doing market research, so basically keeping track of the surveys and a lot of number crunching.  Going forward I’m not totally sure what I would want to do but I would love for transportation to be involved because it would just make things a little more interesting.

So does your love of trains in any way further your love of rollerblading? Do they correlate at all?

I’m actually really glad you asked that question, because the answer is yes. 100% correlation and causation in both directions.

What kind of reactions do you get when you wheel past people?

I’ve been noticing this a lot lately.  Every time I pass a little kid, they gaze up in such wonderment about it and they’re so excited.  And it makes me think that as individuals, we probably have the ability to change the world a lot more than we think just through the little actions.  People underestimate how big those can really be.  Because that might inspire them to make something of their lives or at least get real with it and have fun.

Would you ever have a buddy or is it more of a loner thing?

I definitely need some alone time too, because that’s always my thought processing time. And sometimes I just need time to not think.  I can literally just roll around and take in what’s around me and enjoy that.

While we may not all pick up a pair of roller blades or paste our faces onto a picture of the B line, there is a lot to be learned from James’s motto: “just roll with it.”