Thomas Jefferson Chinua, a retired African American railroad worker, takes a cross-country train trip reflecting on meaningful conversations he had with passengers, tragic experiences on and off the train, and the challenges of raising a family through decades of social turmoil for black people as he advances up the line from waiter to station master. Rooted in Jesuit Catholicism, a lifetime of soulful inquiry into diverse philosophies and religious beliefs leads him to a place where dogma is left behind, but his Christ-centered spirituality is deepened and broadened to the point where he appreciates the imperative to see God in all things. "There are as many paths to the mountain top as there are people," he says. "And all of them are deserving of respect."In 1963, nearing the March on Washington, Thomas is new on the job as a waiter for the B&O Railroad. Falsely accused of murdering a Senator's wife in a sleeping car and finally acquitted after a month in prison, he becomes enraged and vows never again to be stereotyped. Thomas undergoes a rigorous railroad training program where he reinvents himself in speech, manner, and dress, and he sets out to understand why God seemingly abandoned him, and why, against his childhood prayers, God kept him alive. Thomas and Tina, his wife, raise four talented children. As they go off to college and develop careers-computer engineer, chef, jazz musician, parenting consultant-the family becomes fragmented. But because Tina and Thomas have created a uniquely loving family, they find a way to stay close as they raise their own families. In 2017, Thomas gains an appreciation for how God works in the world-through love. At a grandchild's first communion ceremony, it becomes apparent why God kept him alive. The railroad history and nomenclature in Soul Train is accurate, down to the names, descriptions, dates, and timetables of various trains. Authentic details in the story derive from interviews with conductors, service attendants, railroad historians, and former railroad employees.
