Excursion Trains of New England
Scenic train excursions offer a day of New England beauty and railroading nostalgia
Mr. George Pullman, builder of railroad cars during America’s Golden Age of railroading, would be pleased. In every New England state, especially in mountainous areas and along rivers and lakes and harbors, vacationers are lining up to climb aboard vintage train coaches to take excursion train rides.
What is an excursion train ride? Many small railroad companies – including some associated with railroading museums – operate short round trips through wonderfully scenic parts of New England on trains composed of restored locomotives and coaches – many of them dating from the early-to-mid-1900s.
The primary joy of these excursions is the awesome scenery in places like the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Cape Cod, and the waterfront of Portland, Maine. (Take a camera!) The second attraction is relaxation and luxury. Many of the excursion lines offer pure elegance and white-glove dining service. Examples are the Newport, Rhode Island, dinner train along Narragansett Bay, and the opportunity on the Winnipesaukee (New Hampshire) Scenic Railroad to ride in the super-luxurious Piano Parlor Car that was created for use by the president of the Bangor and Aroostock Railroad. Read more...
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