On more than one occasion during my time on America’s Gulf Coast, I found myself woken by the sound of a train horn in the night, not sure if it was real or in my head.

The seemingly constant honk of the Amtrak is a reminder in these parts that rail is back in business, a dream made a reality for locals after a twenty-year absence due to the nightmare devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Twice-daily services started running in August from Mobile, Alabama via Mississippi to  New Orleans, Louisiana, reconnecting three states again on the now-christened Mardi Gras line.

My journey started in Mobile, known as the City of Six Flags – over the years ruled by the Spanish and British, as well as sitting under the Republic of Alabama, the Confederacy and the United States.

It takes little time to grasp that the carnival is their big thing. Traditions date back to the year after the city was founded by French colonisers in 1702, and have really stuck.

At Mobile Carnival Museum, curator Cart Blackwell shows us some incredible gowns and tells us all about how preparations kick into gear on the eve of Thanksgiving as the temperatures on the Gulf Coast cool down and social event season begins.

Costume makers frantically start sewing to make the incredible costumes that encapsulate years of tradition in time for the parades and balls that begin in January and build-up to Mardi Gras Day (a.k.a. Fat Tuesday).

The outfits on display here are stunning – one heavy gown requiring ball bearings to be attached to the train so that the parade queen could actually move it.

For locals, it’s an artform, a boost to the area’s economy and an excuse to have a good time, with the key element being family.

Thousands take to the streets, trying to catch goodies thrown down from the floats. Beads still twinkle in the trees from parades gone by all across the Downtown area, even though Cart tells us that the local fire brigade usually have the whole thing cleared up in half an hour.

Another important spot to acknowledge the history of the area is the Africatown Heritage House. It’s a short journey to the north, across the river that’s made Mobile one of America’s largest ports and enabled the cotton trade to bring it enormous wealth.

It’s fitting to take that journey before stepping into the display that tells the story of the Clotilda, the last known ship to have brought slaves from Africa to the US, through testimony of survivors like Oluale Kossola, later known as Cudjoe Lewis.

The written words are powerful enough, but you can’t help but be moved with a headset to your ear as you listen to him detail his story from bright early days in West Africa through the increasing depravity, humiliation and despair of captivity and the 45-day transatlantic journey in horrific conditions.

Following emancipation, survivors founded the community that became known as Africatown and many descendants still live there. Stories of resilience and hope are the main takeaways, and lessons from the museum remain strikingly relevant in today’s USA.

Back in the heart of the city, the Bienville Bites Food Tour gives you a literal taste of the city. From 34 floors up at the snazzy Dauphin’s with some shrimp and a cocktail over sunset, to Wintzell’s Oyster House and some bread pudding to end, you’ll leave stuffed with knowledge on Mobile’s culinary and social history.

We stayed at The Admiral Hotel downtown, furnished with French flair and serving sumptuous steaks at Le Moyne’s Chophouse. They certainly feed you well in this part of the world.

It’s time, though, to hit the rails. The moon still shines down as we board the 6.30am service towards New Orleans.

There’s a friendly welcome on board from the bow-tied ticket inspectors, and Randy in the catering carriage invites passengers to start their day with a Bloody Mary or mimosa.

Everyone you meet is chuffed that the train service is back. One woman from Florida we meet is using it to connect to Chicago to join friends she hasn’t seen for 50 years at a Patti Smith concert.

Another couple, meanwhile, told us how much they’ve enjoyed letting the train take the strain for a midweek getaway.

Incredulously, more than one person we meet across the week has never been on a train before. With the line doubling on its expectations on passenger numbers since opening, that’s changing.

Read the rest of Ross Crae's article at SundayPost.com.