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South Carolina Train Rides And Excursion Trains

Unfortunately, there are not many South Carolina train rides available to the general public. Today, just two excursions are offered by the historic shortline Lancaster & Chester Railway and the South Carolina Railroad Museum. It is too bad the state is not home to more rail excursions as it has a quite interesting history with railroads even though it may seem like a typically flat, Southern state. With the southern Appalachia mountain chain to its west the state offered coal and timber traffic as well as more traditional freight to the east such as textiles, cotton, and agriculture. In any event, South Carolina also has very few railroad museums to visit, just the South Carolina Railroad Museum mentioned above as well as the Railroad Historical Center in Greenwood that offers a few exhibits.

In truth, I would not really recommend an excursion train in South Carolina as nearby states like Georgia, Tennessee, and especially North Carolina have a lot more to offer. The South Carolina Railroad Museum does offer a variety of events throughout the year such as steam train specials, holiday activities, and caboose festivities. While their excursions are not very long they are usually very reasonably priced and within most folks' budget. The Lancaster & Chester's train rides, however, are much less affordable. They aren't even really "excursions" in the truest since but private charters large parties can plan, such as business or large family affairs. They include full course meals in elegantly restored passenger cars and you will need to plan the trip in advance. In any event, to learn more about both excursions please read through the information below.

South Carolina Train Rides And Excursion Trains

Lancaster & Chester Railway

The Lancaster & Chester Railway is actually a freight railroad that operates between its namesake towns and has been in business since 1896. The L&C actually does not host tourist train excursions but does offer luxury rail car charters for those interested. For more information about planning a trip on the L&C please click here.

South Carolina Railroad Museum

The South Carolina Railroad Museum, based in Columbia, predominantly looks to preserve the state's railroad heritage and has a wide collection of equipment on its grounds. However, it also helps to tell the state's railroad history by offering excursion trains on its property between March and December, hosting a number of specials throughout the year as well. For more information about riding a train at the South Carolina Railroad Museum please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Tourist Railroads Section

To learn more about South Carolina's history with trains please click here. Also, for more information about South Carolina 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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