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Historic Train Rides in New England | |
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These scenic excursion
train rides are strictly for fun and sightseeing—and
are great for that.
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Essex Steam Train & RiverboatRestored trains chug through the pretty coastal countryside along the Connecticut River and the Connecticut Shoreline, then you take a short cruise on the river (if you wish). More... Railroad Museum of New EnglandRide historic trains along "the Naugy:" the
Naugatuck River from Thomaston to Waterville
CT, through the Mattatuck Forest and past
the Black Rock cliffs. More...
Cape Cod Central RailroadTake an excursion train trip from Hyannis to the Cape Cod Canal, enjoying the view and, if you wish, lunch or dinner prepared right on the train. More... Chatham Railroad MuseumThe railroad station in Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has been preserved as a museum, and a good one it is. More... Edaville RailroadFounded as a nostalgic railroad buff's line, Edaville, in South Carver MA, sourthwest of Plymouth and northwest of Cape Cod, is now a full-fledged kids' amusement park, but the historic trains still play a major part. More... Berkshire Scenic Railway MuseumClimb aboard for a 90-minute, 20-mile round-trip excursion between Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts: real Norman Rockwell country. More... Winnipesaukee RailroadThis excursion train follows the shores of New Hampshire's largest lake, from Weirs Beach via Meredith to Lakeport and back. More... Mt Washington Cog RailwayUndoubtedly the funkiest and most spectacular rail journey in New England, this historic line takes you up a vertiginous steep slope to the summit of Mount Washington, New England's highest peak. You gotta do this! More...
Conway Scenic RailroadSummer or winter, take an excursion into the White Mountains on this polished old-time train from a beautifully-maintained station depot in the center of North Conway, NH. More... Hobo RailroadFollowing tracks along the scenic Pemigewasset River from Lincoln NH, the Hobo Railroad takes you through the beauty of Franconia Notch State Park. More... Loon MountainThis summer and winter outdoors resort just east of Lincoln, New Hampshire, has its own splendid restored narrow-gauge steam locomotive hauling passenger cars on a short back-and-forth run through the resort. More... Café Lafayette Dinner TrainEnjoy a relaxingfive-course, two-hour dinner while cruising 20 miles through the countryside near North Woodstock NH in restored railroad dining cars from the 1920s to 1950s. More...
Maine Eastern RailroadConnecting Brunswick, Bath, Wiscasset and Rockland with historic locomotives hauling parlor cars, Pullman coaches and a dining car, the Maine Eastern makes morning and afternoon runs Wednesday through Sunday along the coast in Midcoast Maine. More... "Sunbeam" Pullman Palace CarThis palatial Gilded Age private railway coach features a drawing room, smoking room, dining room, bedrooms, all with elaborate Victorian luxury fittings. Used by Presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D Roosvelt, it isquite simply a palace on wheels. See it at Hildene, the Robert Todd Lincoln Estate in Manchester VT. More... Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum"Narrow gauge" means the rails are closer together, and the locomotives and rail cars are smaller, but even more fun. This excursion train takes a short run along the Portland ME waterfront hauling the Rangeley Parlor Car, the only two-foot-gauge parlor car ever built. More... Boothbay Railway VillageThe beautiful Midcoast Maine town of Boothbay has its own museum of narrow-gauge railroad stations, steam engines, passenger cars, model railroads and automobiles. More... Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes RailroadAnother narrow-gauge line offering 50-minute excursions into the Maine woods over part of what was once the longest two-foot-gauge line in the USA (120 miles). More... —by Tom Brosnahan
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Above, Mount
Washington Cog Railway locomotive at
the foggy summit of the mountain.
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