Parents are having me find some railroad operations to base around their choices for vacation this year, just wondering if there are operations (anywhere in the states) that have a bad reputation or something else wrong with them.

thanks

I wonder if the moderators are going to permit any such discussion on the basis that it's going to require talking ill of certain operations.

Frankly, I can't think of any such operation that comes to mind. The problem is, "one man's meat is another man's poison." One may be turned off by the commercialism surrounding the Strasburg's property, but others might favor the experience. One might think the rural charm and relatively rustic character of the EBT is historically captivating, while others will lament the lack of amenities in the region--the nearest fast food being miles away.

There HAVE been railroads that I would have recommended strictly for the rustic, "realistic" Toonerville-Trolley-like operating character, if that's what you were into--including certain things that would make hair stand on the back of the heads of some of us. Fortunately, the operations in question are either no longer running or under different operators.

In general terms, you will find clusters in California, Colorado, Chicago area, and Pennsylvania. Within each of these geographic groupings, are several lines with different personalities and products from which you can choose those which suit you best. OTOH, there are some sites that are special in their own way such as Cass, if you like all day trips behind Shays in the mountains, as an example. Unless there is a specific sort of thing you are looking for, I'd aim for CA or PA and know I can find something that will appeal in or near either.

dave

Howdy,

It would be difficult to go wrong in Antonito (steam), Cañon City (diesel), Durango (steam), Leadville (diesel), or Manitou Springs (diesel cog), CO. In nearby NM you have Chama (steam) & Santa Fe (diesel). The Antonito, Chama, and Durango trips are fairly long while the others mentioned are fairly short. There are a few other train rides in Colorado with short time frames like the Platte Valley Trolley, Ft. Collins Trolley, and Georgetown Loop.

I try to avoid the trips that involve loud music played on board &/or have loud gun fights/robberies on the train. I would ride the Grand Canyon Railway, Williams, AZ, this summer except for their damn train robbery! I'll drive to Grand Canyon Village instead.

Cheers, Roger

Every operation has to be evaluated on its own merits, but use common sense.

Is the equipment looking like it's on borrowed time? Does the place provide real facilities or do you have no other choice than a rent-a-john, How about crews? Has there been a large loss of experienced staff/crews? These are the things to find out...

... how am I, Joe Public, supposed to divine a large turnover of staff or volunteers? There are times I can't even figure that out in groups or organizations I'm writing about or investigating (don't ask), or even among groups to which I BELONG! Are you suggesting I go up to the ticket agent or the engineer and ask first?

It certainly might follow that I might think twice about an operation that seemed to use a different locomotive or set of cars each year. But really, how often do we see even that?

I learned a long time ago never to write off an operation simply based on appearances. If I were going to shun operations that didn't have full automatic braking, I would have avoided aq small community operation unlike any other, with a unique brand of railroading that I can't find elsewhere in North America, to my knowledge--and a brand that was instrumental to the heritage of that corner of the nation. I have looked at a passenger train that could best be called an unphotogenic hodgepodge of mangled vintage stuff and jerry-rigged freight cars and said, "who the heck would want to ride that?"--and then eaten my words as my brother-in-law pointed the off-road Jeep to nearly inaccessible overlooks that the train neatly threaded through spectacular scenery, and the train suddenly made perfect sense.

Come to think of it, I now remember riding a "train" over unrepaired and semi-repaired washouts. Thankfully, additional ballast now graces those locations.

What ever makes the money! I am of the opinion that in order to make it in this industry (when it comes to for profit tourist lines) that one must do WHATEVER it takes to bring in the dollars....does a train robbery on any route appeal to me, not a bit. Would it stop me from ridding? You had better believe not. In order to survive one must make money, in order to make money one must attract TOURISTS, not purists.....that is fact. There are just not enough of us out there to pay the bills.

I was thinking of a specific operation discussed widely here last fall. If you'd like to know more, contact me offline.

Might I suggest you avoid wasting your time and moneys on the Hocking Valley (non) Scenic Railway in Nelsonville, Ohio. It is NOT scenic and they provide no historical narrative of the line. While the line is historical and paralells the former canal, it also parallels the highway so everything you see from the line you see from the highway and if you arrive from the north, you see everything you just passed on the way there.

Their interests lie in the personal agendas of a few on the board rather than the greater good of the organization. It has basically become nothing more than a means for a bunch of old b*stards to kill time fighting and bickering while awaiting the grave box.

One of the many ex-volunteers.

Greg Schultz

The only way that I would say that there was an operation that should be avoided is that if it was so patently unsafe that my nine year-old grandson would not want to ride it. If I knew of such an operation (and I do not) I would not be dealing with it in this forum.

Asking which ones to avoid seems backwards. The real question is about a family having fun. To that tourist family all of the folderol about organizational politics is completely irrelevant. I would look for which ones appear to be the most enjoyable. My advice is to purchase the guidebooks and go on the net to look for comments on the ones you think you want to see.

GME

The G&Q, in Ecuador, allows you to ride on the steam loco pilot, roof of a boxcar or pretty much anywhere else. Each of my 4 visits featured at least one derailment. Maybe not for everyone, but some of the best train riding I've ever had.

Wouldn't the better question be which railroads offer a better experience? Why dwell on the negative and bring down morale? Isn't it better and more politically correct to look at the positives in the industry? EVERY tourist/museum railroad has positives and negatives. Some organizations have more negatives than positives. BUT when it comes to recommending a spot to visit it is wiser to offer one of the better ones than one of the lesser ones. Besides why cause bad blood between yourself and an organization by bashing and/or flaming??

The new FRA boiler rules have made operating a steam engine much more expensive. This has driven out the shaky operations, but it has also endangered some good, but lightly attended lines, like the EBT.

Visit this gem soon, you never know if each year will be ther last. If you are out west, ride the Cumbres and Toltec. They need your support and the ride and scenery is fantastic. Also, the Western Maryland Scenic is endangered for reasons related in earlier posts. This too is a fantastic line, with nice scenery and a large engine that works hard on steep grades. Visit this year, while you still can.

All steam tourist railroads need our support. Pick one (or more) and go and ride this summer.