from TRAVEL & LEISURE:
Steam Train Rides
 "The Wreck of the Old 97" is the title of an old train song, but Locomotive No. 97 at the Valley Railroad museum in Essex, Conn., is anything but a wreck. A vintage-1926 steam engine, it has been painstakingly restored by the staff, and now pulls a train of period railroad cars -- including an open car and a bar car -- for tourists from the spring through the fall.
Steam trains were phased out, more or less, by the mid-1950s, but you'd never know it from the enthusiastic crowds, most of whom are too young to have ridden the rails during the heyday of steam. And if riding the train, which ends with an optional boat ride on the Connecticut River, isn't enough, you can go to the museum store. It sells all types of railroad memorabilia, even tapes of railroad songs like "The Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe," "Night Train," and, of course, "The Wreck of the Old 97."
The first locomotives ever invented, in England during the 1820s, were powered by steam. During the next 70 years, steam trains, whether they burned coal, wood or oil, reigned unchallenged. When Jesse James and his crew jumped aboard a wooden train in one of their daring robberies, the train was pulled by a steam locomotive.
After the turn of the last century, however, railroads began converting short-run commuter lines to electricity. On long-distance runs, diesels became commonplace during the 1940s.
Today, the only regular service steam trains serve far-off locations like Thailand. However, you don't have to go to Thailand, or even to Connecticut, to experience what it feels like to ride a train pulled by a steam engine. There are railroad museums featuring steam rides throughout the U.S. Here are a few:
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs an all-day excursion on an old mining line through Southwest Colorado. Narrow gauges, where the distance between the rails is shorter than the standard width, were common on routes built by small, independent railroads during the 19th century.
The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe, Washington, goes on a 14-mile round trip at the foothills of scenic Mt. Rainier, with a stop at Mineral Lake.
Steamtown USA in Pennsylvania, administered by the National Park Service, was created in 1986 by Congress to highlight the story of steam railroading from 1850 to 1950. The park occupies about 40 acres of the former Scranton Yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. In addition to locomotives, roundhouses and a theater, it sponsors excursions to Moscow, Pa.
The Grand Canyon Railway runs from William, Arizona to the Grand Canyon. Strolling musicians and costumed western characters entertain riders as they travel through pine forests, high desert plains and small canyons.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railway in North Carolina provides trains powered by both steam locomotives and vintage diesel locomotives. Excursions give passengers a view of the Great Smoky Mountains, winding rivers, and lakes.
If we didn't mention your state, or a historic steam railroad you know of, there's no need to start another Civil War1x Just log onto Web Union Station, and you can look up tourist railroads (both steam and diesel) by state or by alphabetical order. All aboard1x
By Raanan Geberer
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