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Washington Train Rides And Excursion Trains

From the rolling desert hills and farmland in the eastern regions of the state to the breathtaking Cascade mountain range to the west, Washington train rides are noteworthy for their incredible scenic views. If you want to take a rail excursion in the state that truly defines the Pacific Northwest then I would strongly consider visiting Washington. The state's tourist railroads also offer a lot of different sights and sounds from classic diesel locomotives to historic steam locomotives. You can also catch views of Mt. Rainier aboard the railroad named after the mountain as well as ride antique trolleys at Yakima Valley Trolleys. Finally, if you would like to enjoy a meal during trip that is also option offered by the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum. In any event, if you would like to know about the state's railroad museums please click here.

The state of Washington has a fascinating history with trains, once being home to three transcontinental railroads (the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and Milwaukee Road), as well as several famous streamliners. Today, the state's tourist railroads try to preserve its rich rail heritage, two of which use tracks once owned by the Milwaukee Road. Additionally, excursions like the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad look to tell the history of Washington's vast logging railroads, which were once dotted all over the western areas of the state. Of particular note, if you would like to see venerable geared steam live, and in operation check out either the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, which has a nice fleet of these locomotives in service. They are definitely something to see in person. In any event, to learn more about Washington train rides please read through the brief descriptions covering each in more detail below.

Washington Train Rides And Excursion Trains

Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum

The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum located in Chehalis, Washington operates on former Milwaukee Road trackage in the Chehalis Valley. The railroad and museum's primary goal is to preserve the area's railroad history and the excursion train really helps in the regard, especially since they have an operational 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive to pull the trains. The railroad also features several different dinner trains including brunch trains and murder mysteries. For more information about visiting the railroad and museum please click here.

Chelatchie Prairie Railroad

The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, located in Yacolt, operates on former logging trackage between Chelatchie Prairie and Lucia Falls that was eventually owned by the Northern Pacific. The railroad normally operates between May and October with specials running through December. For more information about visiting the railroad please click here.

Lake Whatcom Railway

The Lake Whatcom Railway, based in Acme, Washington, in the northwestern corner of the state operates on former Norther Pacific trackage with train rides lasting about an hour-and-a-half. The railroad uses a vintage Alco diesel switcher for power and normally operates during the warmer months of the year. For more information about visiting the railroad please click here.

Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad

The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad is tourist railroad based out of Elbe, Washington operating over former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific (The Milwaukee Road) rails. For a small operation the railroad owns quite a large collection of operating steam locomotives although they are only operated when there are enough volunteers available to man them (the rest of the time diesel locomotives do the job). Regardless, the Mount Rainier Scenic operates in the spectacular Washington backcountry where logging was once king and today takes you on either an 18 or 30-mile round trip from the restored depot in Mineral. For more information about visiting the railroad please click here.

Northwest Railway Museum

The Northwest Railway Museum, based in Snoqualmie, looks to preserve the area's railroad history and in doing so also hosts an excursion train between May and October. Trains board from the restored Snoqualmie depot and the museum hosts several special and seasonal excursions such as "A Day Out With Thomas" the tank engine. For more information about visiting the railroad and museum please click here.

Yakima Valley Trolleys

Yakima Valley Trolleys, based in Yakima is Washington's only operating heritage interurban line. The interurban operates on trackage once owned by the Yakima Valley Transportation Company, a freight interurban that served the Yakima Valley for nearly one-hundred years. For more information about visiting the trolleys please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Tourist Railroads Section

To learn more about the history of Washington's railroads please click here. Also, for more information about Washington 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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