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Massachusetts Train Rides And Excursion Trains

There are a small handful of Massachusetts train rides to choose from, including two of the country's more popular tourist railroads, despite the state's relative small size. If you are interested in seeing the splendor of the New England countryside by train (including by open-air car), especially during the fall when the trees are ablaze in color, it's well worth the drive to Massachusetts. Also, if you enjoy trolley rides (and/or an interest in interurban history) consider a visit to Shelburne Falls where the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is located. Along with excursion trains, there are a number of railroad museums located in Massachusetts. If you might be interested in visiting one please click here.

While all four current Massachusetts train rides are worth checking out, the two that truly stand out include the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum and Cape Cod Central Railroad. The Berkshire Scenic uses a short stretch of track in the southwestern corner of the state offering guests three types of excursions between May and October. While the museum does not host steam locomotives their special trips throughout the year including wine tasting, holiday trains, and hosting the Polar Express during the Christmas season using restored heavyweight passenger cars. As for the Cape Cod Central, they operate quite elegant excursion trains way out along the eastern tip of the state near Hyannis, running along the Atlantic shore line. To learn more about all Massachusetts train rides please read on below.

Massachusetts Train Rides And Excursion Trains

Cape Cod Central Railroad

The Central Railroad was formed in 1999 and through dedicated service and determination it has become one of the most popular dinner trains in the country. Today, while the railroad offers standard excursion service along its line it also offers several different dinner trains from a traditional meal to luncheon and brunch trains. The railroad also offers family dinner trains and a murder mystery special that includes a meal and show (a feature that has become quite popular on many tourist lines across the country). For more information about the railroad and planning a visit please click here.

Edaville Railroad

The Edaville Railroad, based in Carver, Massachusetts is part of an entire park system with its railroad a two-foot narrow-gauge operating around the grounds. Highlights during the year include "A Day Out With Thomas" the tank engine, Curious George, Clifford, and other seasonal specials. For more information about the railroad and planning a visit please click here.

Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum

The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum based in Shelburne Falls operates a section of the former Shelburne Falls & Colrain Street Railway property still using the company's #10 trolley car to ferry passengers. For more information about the museum and planning a visit please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Tourist Railroads Section

On a related topic, if you may be interested in reading a brief history of Massachusetts railroads please click here. Also, for more information about Massachusetts train rides you might want to consider the book Tourist Trains Guidebook, which is put together by the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. The guide below is the latest, released in just April, 2011 that now includes more than 470 museums and tourist trains (it also lists all of Alabama's rail museums). In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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