On Trains
❖ don heimburger
Rail Museums All Steamed Up For Groups Something haS changed on the tour group scene in the last 10 years: railroad museums are beginning to play a greater role as a destination for groups. the reason for this is that railroad museum marketing has become smarter, and museums have spent time and money beefing up their trains to handle more riders. Rail museums offer a variety of benefits for groups. First, they offer history, as most display and promote historical pieces of rail equipment, from steam locomotives to early diesel engines. Besides the equipment, many museums offer rides from a couple of miles long to half-day trips. these trips can include meals or light snacks, and usually have an end point that in itself is scenic or historic. Some train trips ramble through snow-capped mountains, while others follow scenic rivers. Larger trains can accommodate up to 200-300 people on a single trip, as most coaches have a capacity of 50 or more. With plenty of advance notice, museums can specialize the ride to include more stops along the way, cater a meal onboard or near the train tracks, or provide extra service for senior citizens. Following are just a few scenic trains recommended for tour groups: neW meXico Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, chama; 877-890-2737, cumbrestoltec.com. narrow gauge lines used to run throughout the Rocky mountains, but most have disappeared. this three-footgauge line, which accurately represents 12 June 2011
the 1920s, comprises 64 miles of trackage through the rugged San Juan mountains, crossing the new mexico-colorado border 11 times. Steam locomotives, rebuilt and refurbished, ply the rails with coaches filled with tourists. expect spectacular views. coLoRado Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, durango; 877-872-4607, durangotrain.com. Part of the same original denver & Rio grande Western RR three-foot narrow gauge line as the
Bretton Woods; 603-278-5404, thecog.com. england may have invented the railroad, but the United States invented the cog railroad, and the first successful cog—a standard railroad with flanged wheels but with the addition of a gear engaging a cog down the center of the tracks—is credited to the mount Washington cog Railway in 1869. the railway has been in operation ever since, making summer and fall trips to the top of 6,288-foot mount Washington, infamous for its bad weather but famous for its great views. the steep
Besides displaying railroad equipment, many museums offer rides from a couple of miles long to half-day trips above cumbres & toltec RR, this popular rail line, dating from the 1880s, twists and turns its way along a 45-mile stretch between durango and Silverton. its coal-fired locomotives take visitors past the animas River gorge at 350 feet above the rushing mountain river. Waterfalls and wildlife enthrall passengers as the train weaves through the San Juan mountains and San Juan national Forest. coaches with open windows and open-air gondolas allow passengers to feel the colorado air and smell the genuine coal smoke on their way to 9,300-foot-high Silverton, an old mining town where riders have time to eat and explore the freight yard museum. neW hamPShiRe Mount Washington Cog Railway,
tracks remind one of a ladder plunked down on the mountainside; trips, headed by small inclined puffer belly coal-fired steam locomotives until just recently, take three hours. and let’s not forget about the transportation museums and scenic train rides in europe, where rail travel is a way of life. Perhaps the most soughtafter seats are those aboard mountain trains like the Bernina express and glacier express in Switzerland. and a great place to learn about the country’s railroads is the Swiss Museum of Transport and Communication, conveniently located next to one of the Lake Lucerne navigation co.’s boat piers. the expansive structure is one of the world’s foremost transportation museums, employing 250 staff members. LeisureGroupTravel.com
A good portion of the floor space is devoted to preservation of Swiss railway cars and locomotives. On display are a replica of the Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn (Spanish Bun Railway), the first train to operate in Switzerland in 1847; the 1873 cogwheel steam locomotive No. 7 from the Rigi Railway, the first engine manufactured by Swiss locomotive builder SLM and the first successful mountain locomotive in Europe; the C 5/6, a 2-10-0 (1916), the most powerful Swiss steam locomotive; and the articulated Be 6/8, affectionately known as the “Crocodile,” built in 1920. A scenic train ride or museum visit, at home or abroad, will add a dose of fun and nostalgia to any group tour itinerary. Don Heimburger is an editor, publisher and writer who travels the world in search of the best train rides. Besides authoring 11 railroad books, his company, Heimburger House Publishing (heimburgerhouse.com), specializes in rail titles. For seven years he worked in the public relations department of the Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago.
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