TRAIN TRIPS AND MUSEUMS
Trips on Amtrak and Tourist Trains, Visits to Train Museums

I love steam locomotives. I took my first train ride in 1944 from Iowa to Maryland. I grew up next to the Rock Island Line in Irving, Texas and saw many steam locomotives pass. I miss those whistles, bells, and that smoke. Those memories have always made me love trains, both real and model.

I especially love riding and watching passenger trains. For today's train rides, I love the tourist lines where the locomotive is steam. My most exciting train ride memory was when I went to the Boy Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1957. We road the Rock Island RR from Dallas to Chicago and then the Pennsylvania RR from Chicago to Philadelphia. We rode the Reading RR from Valley Forge into Philadelphia on a side trip to see the Liberty Bell. Grand Trunk RR steam locomotives pulled our Pennsylvania RR passenger cars from Niagara Falls to Detroit on part of our return leg of the trip via Canada. The conductor showed us how to clock the speed of our train. At one point the speed was over 100 mph as the big steam locomotive made up a lot of time lost by the Pennsylvania RR. All of these railroads no longer exist due to mergers and buy-outs.

INTER CITY AMTRAK TRAINS

Amtrak Texas Eagle
Amtrak's Texas Eagle

    Empire Builder
            Seattle to St. Paul (1993)
    Texas Chief
            Fort Worth to Chicago (1972 and 1974)
    Broadway Limited
            Chicago to Philadelphia (1972)
    Texas Eagle
            Fort Worth to Austin (2004)
            (Steve, 3 Sons-in-law, 3 two year olds)

TOURIST TRAINS

Combres & Toltec Scenic RR
Combres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

    Grand Canyon Railroad
           Williams, Arizona to South Rim
    Strassburg
           Short Farmland Trip In Pennsylvania Amish Country
    Cumbres and Toltec
           Narrow Gage Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado
    Cripple Creek & Victor
           Narrow Gage Short Line in Colorado
    Virginia City RR
           Standard Gage Short Line in Nevada
    Wine Country Train
           Napa Valley, California
    Cape Cod Scenic Railroad
           Hyannis, Massachusetts

TRAIN MUSEUMS

    Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum at Strassburg
    California State Museum at Sacramento
    Age of Steam at Dallas
    Colorado Railroad Museum at Golden
    Chattanooga Choo Choo at Chattanooga
    Galveston Island Railroad Museum