An Alco, by the way, and an operating steam locomotive. Well outside the United States, however; in fact, an ocean away. And the crossing of that ocean, in this case the Atlantic, provides the title reference for the first portion of this narrative.
For, on September 26, 1992, I was fortunate to fly on an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound, by a factor of slightly more than twice. On my way to Toulouse, France, I left my home in northern Virginia and traveled to JFK air...