According to the Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums (ATRRM, www.atrrm.org), more than five million people each year take trips on restored, vintage railroads in the United States.
There are approximately 300 privately operated tourist railroads, about 150 of which operate coal-burning locomotives. Most are listed in the annual Tourist Trains Guideblog (Kalmbach blogs). Just about every state has some type of tourist railroad or museum, and new ones continue to open.
RAILWAY EXCURSIONS Scenic and Tourists Excursions in USA Photo Gallery
Scheduled Rail Excursions
The following are some of the most popular scheduled rail excursions:
• Alaska Railroad (www.akrr.com): Anchorage to Fairbanks
• Arcade & Attica (www.arcadeandatticarr.com): Arcade to Curriers, New York
• Arkansas & Missouri Railroad (www.amrailroad.com): Boston Mountains, from Springdale to Van Buren, Arkansas
• Austin & Texas Central Railroad (www.austinsteamtrain.org): Texas
• Black Hills Central (www.1880train.com): South Dakota
• Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad (www.scenic-valleyrr.com): Iowa
• Cass Scenic Railroad (www.cassrailroad.com): West Virginia
• Conway Scenic Railroad (www.conwayscenic.com): New Hampshire
• Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (www.cumbrestoltec.com): New Mexico
• Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (www.cvsr.com): Ohio
• Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (www.durangotrain.com): Colorado
• Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad (www.mountainrail.com): West Virginia
• Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway Company (www.esnarailway.com): Arkansas
• Fillmore & Western Railway (www.fwry-blog.com): Santa Clara Valley, California
• Grand Canyon Railway (www.thetrain.com): Arizona
• Great Smoky Mountain Railroad (www.gsmr.com): North Carolina
• Heber Valley Railroad (www.hebervalleyrr.org): Utah
• Hocking Valley Scenic Railway (www.hvsr.com): Ohio
• Mount Washington Cog Railway (www.thecog.com): New Hampshire
• Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (www.mrsr.com): Washington
• Napa Valley Wine Train (www.winetrain.com): California
• Niles Canyon Railway (www.ncry.org): California
• Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad (www.potomaceagle.info): West Virginia
• Rio Grande Scenic Railroad (www.coloradotrain.com): Colorado
• Roaring Camp Railroads (www.roaringcamp.com): California
• Skunk Train (www.skunktrain.com): California
• Strasburg Rail Road (www.strasburgrailroad.com): Pennsylvania
• Tweetsie Railroad (www.tweetsie-railroad.com): Blowing Rock, NC
• Verde River Canyon Railroad (http://verdecanyonrr.com): Arizona
• Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (www.wmsr.com): Cumberland, MD
• White Pass & Yukon Route (www.wpyr.com): Skagway, AK
• Whitewater Valley Railroad (www.whitewatervalleyrr.org): Indiana
The 2016 Readers Choice Awards poll by 10Best (www.10best.com), a USA Today travel site, ranked the Best Train Rides as follows:
1. Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (Between Chama, NM and Antonito, CO)
2. Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (Between Durango and Silverton, CO)
3. Cass Scenic Railroad (between Cass and Bald Knob, WV)
4. Napa Valley Wine Train (Between Napa and St Helena, CA)
5. White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad (Between Skagway, AK and Whitehorse, Yukon)
6. Great Smoky Mountain Railroad (Round trips from Bryson City, NC)
7. Mount Washington Cog Railway (To the top of Mount Washington, NH)
8. Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (Between Cumberland and Frostburg, MD)
9. Grand Canyon Railway (Between Williams and Grand Canyon, AZ)
10. Empire Builder (Between Chicago and Portland/Seattle)
52.3 Market Resources
Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums, P.O. Box 1189, Covington, GA 30015. (770) 278-0088. (www.atrrm.org)
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