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Tuesday 26 July 2011

10 Awesome Trips by Steam Trains

Train trips are really wonderful because they give us the opportunity of watching a multitude of landscapes, fauna, and other touristic objectives from the comfort of a carriage. If we agree to this, than what could be even more beautiful?  Well, to make the trip in a vintage steam train, on a route of an overwhelming beauty, of an untouched wilderness. If you believe that one cannot have it all, then we invite you to take a look upon these10 awesome trips by steam trains, which will make you change your mind.

1. Austin and Texas Central Railroad, USA

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This line offers travelers the possibility of admiring the Texan landscapes while relaxing in the 1920s wagons. They may be old, but they were recently modernized so that you can enjoy a comfortable trip. The steam train River City Flyer travels from Austin, along the Colorado River, through picturesque prairie cotton plantations, up to Littig and back to Austin. There is another line which allows you to enjoy the beauty of these lands: Hill Country Flyer railroad will take you from Cedar Park to Bertram, Burnet and back to Cedar Park, allowing you to admire the low hills which made the fame of this region.

2. Jacobite Steam Train, Scotland

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The name of the train comes from the Jacobite Rebellion which took place in 1745, in the region. This train is also famous because some of its carriages were used in the Harry Potter series, to create the Hogwarts Express.  The line starts at Fort William, it passes through Great Glen, surrounds the lake Eil and then it crosses the great Glenfinnan viaduct. You can also admire the beautiful view of the Hebride Islands right before arriving to destination.

3. Puffing Billy, Australia

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Puffing Billy runs on its original track from Belgravia through the southern hills of the Dandenong Mountains, to Gembrook.  The wonderful landscape, perfumed with eucalypt scent will enchant your senses while passing through Menzies Creek, Emerald, Lake Side and Cockatoo. The train remains in the station for a few minutes, giving tourists the opportunity to admire the beautiful place before returning to Belgrave.

4. Mount Rainier Railroad, Washington, SUA

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This trip will allow you to enjoy the southern parts of Riainier Mountains.  The train climbs the mountain, through the woods over the escalade-bridges and beautiful torrents, to the Mineral Lake. Here, the train will allow you a 15 minutes break, for taking pictures and stretching your legs, before starting the trip back .Looking on the window you will be able to admire moose, bears, eagles and many other wild animals.

5. Ffestiniog Railroad, Wales

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This railroad was initially built for the transportation of slate from the harbour at Porthmadog to the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and it is the oldest surviving railway in the world, being opened in 1836. The landscape is amazing, making this route a great touristic attraction, especially since some of the original locomotives are still making the trip.  In Blaenau, the train stations for a while, allowing its passengers to descent 100 meters into the great slate mines.

6. Children’s Railroad, Budapest, Hungary

children  railway
This line was built by the URSS for children of 10 to 14 years who wished to work for the Railway.  It was the first railroad of this type and it had a great success in the Soviet Era. Today, the railroad is still run by children, constituting a major touristic attraction in Hungary. In weekends, steam locomotives replace the regular ones. The railway passes through many touristic objectives and through forests, allowing visitors to enjoy amazing landscapes and to have the opportunity of seeing such animals as deer and wild pigs in their natural environment.

7. Nilgiri Mountain Railroad,Tsmil Nadu, India

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This railroad which crosses the Nilgiri Mountain, is so special that it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage , in 2005. This railroad was built by the British in 1908 and it still relies mostly on steam locomotives up to this day. The trip covers 45 km, going up from Mettuppalaiyam to Ootacamund, at 2,268 meters above the Sea Level. The steam train has to cross a very abrupt portion, and it needs help from an Abt rack and pinion system.

8. Harzer schmalspurbahnen (Narrow Gauge), Germany

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The 1 meter gauge railways are located in Central Germany, in the Harz region. The trip by steam train starts at Wernigerode , and it ramifies  into several  lines, of which the most attractive reaches the top of Mount Brocken, at 1, 142 meters. The steam trains hardly climb the spiral, abrupt mountain paths, surrounded by amazing forests and by the rural landscape of the Harz National ParK. Despite the harsh winters, these daring little trains make the journey all year long, providing tourists with a permanent link to the top of the mountain.

9. The Island of Mann Railroad, England

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This is an even narrower gauge railway at its 0,9m. The steam train trip starts in Douglas, the Capital of Mann Island and reaches Port Erin by taking an abrupt path which makes the delight of the travelers who cannot get enough admiring the sight of the sea underneath.  The Island of Mann Railway Company, which owns the line, kept the original style of the locomotives, while the carriages are the original ones,  dated from 1880.

10. The Main Railroad, Peru

peru main rail road
This railroad line from Lima to Oroya is featuring the most abrupt portion in the world. The train reaches a maxim altitude of 4, 783 meters, after having covered 145 km. The trip is a real adventure in which you are a humble spectator. The real hero is the train which bravely follows the margin of deep defiles,  crosses bridges and tunnels and climbs a succession of serpentines. One of the locomotives used by the Ferrocaril Centro Andino, the owner of this railway portion, is a steam locomotive. It is used during the touristic season , and it is a very appreciated  attraction.

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