Trains We've Ridden

Yes, Mike is unquestionably a "chuffer nut"—who thoroughly enjoys steam trains of yesteryear.

As we travel the backroads of our wonderful country, Linda kindly humors Mike's passion for riding old steam trains—surprisingly finding them in many parts of the country.

Recently, we looked through all of Linda's trip journals, and we were surprised at the number of train excursions (OK, so not all of them were steam trains) that we have enjoyed over the past years of our RV travels.

Two of the train rides were cog trains, capable of climbing and descending grades of more than 25 percent. Such a feat is truly amazing when you realize that the steepest grades regular trains can negotitate is only four percent (a four foot rise for every 100 feet of track).

Mike was very fortunate and "happy as a kid in a free candy store" when he was given a ride on a Speeder —one of those funny little yellow boxes that run up and down the rail lines, carrying railroad personnel and inspecting track. What fun it was to zip down the track at 10 or 15 miles per hour, but only two feet (or less) above the rails.

Cog Trains.

Steam Trains.

Diesel Trains.

Trolleys.

Incline Railway.

Speeder.

For Train Lovers Everywhere. In attempting to find the proper names for the various railroads that we have ridden over the years, I just happened to stumble across a web site that lists train rides available throughout most of the USA.

Here, for all of you train aficionados, is a link to USA Train Rides. This web site has given us a glimpse of many trains that we will now have to add to our "future train rides" list.

We would be pleased to hear about your favorite train rides, either steam or diesel. Feel free to drop us an email, and let us know the trains that you have enjoyed.