Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for train travel
Singapore’s Floating Baby
By Linda Tancs
Marc Quinn’s monumental 2008 sculpture Planet has been donated for permanent display at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. Popularly called “the floating baby,” the work of painted bronze and steel measures nearly 32 feet long and almost 13 feet high but appears to hover over the ground as if impossibly suspended. Gardens by the Bay is home to more than 200 sculptures from around the world, featuring unique pieces, intriguing crafts and stone works.
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Steaming Through the Doux
By Linda Tancs
The Train de l’Ardèche follows a railway line linking Tournon-sur-Rhône and Lamastre, a route built in the 1800s to transport people, goods and mail. Its Mallot steam locomotives were especially built for this line, a narrow gauge track following the Doux River through beautiful gorges, scenic views of villages and countryside, chestnut groves and orchards. The main station is Tournon St Jean situated in the village of St-Jean-de-Muzols, not far from Tournon-sur-Rhône. However, you can also depart from the stations in Boucieu le Roi and Lamastre. Events are offered throughout the year, ranging from Western-themed trips to wine tastings and decorated trains for Halloween.
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Railway 200 Celebrations in Britain
By Linda Tancs
The Railway 200 celebrations in 2025 mark 200 years since the birth of the modern railway in the U.K. As part of the festivities, the iconic No. 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ will be in operation between Pickering and Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, one of Britain’s most popular heritage railways. Between March 22 and March 30 you’ll have an opportunity to ride on this locomotive designed by celebrated railway engineer Sir Nigel Gresley. It became famous in 1959 for setting the post-war steam speed record of 112 mph during a test run, due in no small part to its sleek, aerodynamic design that reduced air resistance and enabled exceptional performance. Don’t miss the chance to see this masterpiece of British innovation.
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A Foray Through Switzerland
By Linda Tancs
The GoldenPass Express is one of Switzerland’s most picturesque train routes. The journey between Interlaken and Montreux is a little over three hours’ long and takes in Gstaad, Château-d’Oex and Montbovon. The train’s Prestige class offers heated leather seats, which can be rotated 180 degrees upon request. This travel class is also elevated more than the other travel classes, offering you an even better view of the fascinating scenery.
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Austria’s Steepest Cog Railway
By Linda Tancs
In operation since 1893, Schafbergbahn Cog Railway is Austria’s steepest cog railway. The journey to the top of the Schafberg takes about 35 minutes and begins at the lovely town of St. Wolfgang on the banks of the Wolfgangsee. Covering a distance of 3.6 miles and rising over 3,900 vertical feet to an altitude of 5,682 feet at the terminal station, the railway offers one of the best mountain panoramas in the country.
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Mountain Vistas in Maryland
By Linda Tancs
Constructed in 1949 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Chesapeake & Ohio Railway steam locomotive no. 1309 was built to handle the railroad’s heaviest coal trains throughout Kentucky and West Virginia until it was retired in 1956. The largest operating steam locomotive of its type in the country, it’s now the star attraction at Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in Cumberland. The historic train runs through the Allegheny Mountains on a scenic route between Cumberland and Frostburg, climbing grades up to 2.8% on a 16-mile trek.
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Supremely Scenic in New Hampshire
By Linda Tancs
Supremely scenic excursions await you aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad in New Hampshire. In fact, the Mountaineer is touted as the most scenic ride of all, offering 1950s-era streamlined passenger cars to Crawford Notch, a major pass through the White Mountains. Other trains to Conway and Sawyer River offer heritage rail excursions by employing early 20th-century railcars to recreate the experience of traveling from town to town. Regardless which trip you choose, the trains depart from the 1874 station in North Conway.
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New England’s Railroad Heritage
By Linda Tancs
The Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, Connecticut, preserves and restores New England’s railroad heritage. The museum boasts a diverse collection representative of New England railroading including locomotives, passenger and freight cars, and cabooses. Through its operating subsidiary known as the Naugatuck Railroad (originally chartered in 1845), they tell the story of the region’s rich railroad heritage, conducting scenic and historical excursions between Torrington and Waterbury.
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A Lakeside Rail Ride
By Linda Tancs
Visitors to Meredith, New Hampshire, can enjoy a ride on over 50 miles of historic railroad track on the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad. Operating between Meredith and Lakeport along the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee (the largest lake in the state), the route was once home to the famous Boston, Concord & Montreal line dating back to 1848. All excursions are round-trip from Meredith.
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A Scenic Rail Adventure in Canada
By Linda Tancs
One of Canada’s most popular train tours is the full-day tour to Agawa Canyon, covering the stunning Canadian wilderness of Northern Ontario. Departing from the train depot (87 Huron Street) in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the stunning beauty of the mixed forests of the Canadian Shield brings the landscape art of the Group of Seven (a group of Canadian landscape painters) to life. As if the rugged landscapes, forests, lakes and rivers weren’t enough, the train descends to the canyon floor, an area created more than 1.2 billion years ago by faulting. You even get the engineer’s “bird’s-eye view” thanks to locomotive-mounted cameras projecting images via flat screen monitors installed throughout the coaches. This year’s tour season runs from August 3 to October 15; peak season runs from September 17 to October 10.
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