Steam excursions worldwide (2022)

[Seaboard92]

Well I enjoy seeing steam so I figured you would too so here is the list of dates and locations where you can ride behind the real iron horse.

United States of America

Grand Canyon Railroad (Williams, AZ-South Rim, AZ) 128 Miles Round Trip
Engines: Lake Superior and Ishpening No. 14(2-8-0), Burlington Route 4960 (2-8-2)
April 2, April 23, May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6, September 3, September 17, October 1

Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
Engines: US Transportation Corp 1702 (2-8-0)
Tuskegee River (Bryson City, NC-Dilsboro, NC) 32 Miles Round Trip
Dates:
June: 15, 22, 29
November: 5, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27,
December: 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Nanthala Gorge (Bryson City, NC-Topton, NC) 44 Miles Round Trip
Dates:
May: 27, 28, 29,
June: 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30
July: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
August: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28
September: 2, 3, 29, 30
October: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Polar Express (Bryson City, NC-North Pole)
December 24, 31.

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Engines: Southern 630 (2-8-0), Southern 4501 (2-8-2)
Missionary Ridge Locals (Grand Junction, TN-East Chattanooga, TN)
Every Saturday and Sunday March-October.

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Engines: Visiting Nickel Plate Road 765 (4-8-2)
Steam in the Valley (Rockside, OH-Akron, OH)
Dates: May 14, 15, 20, 21, 22

Reading & Northern
Engines: Reading & Northern 425 (4-6-2), Reading 2102 4-8-4

Rotary Steam Train (Mountain Top, PA-Jim Thorpe, PA)
Engine: R&N 425
Dates: July 9

Iron Horse Rambles (Reading, PA-Jim Thorpe, PA)
Engine: Reading 2102
Dates: May 28, July 2, August 13, September 3

Fall Foliage Excursions (Reading, PA-Jim Thorpe, PA)
Engine: Reading 2102
Dates:
October: 1, 2, 8, 9, 29, 30
November: 5, 6 (Reading & Northern 425)

US Sugar
Engine: US Sugar 148 (Florida East Coast 148)
Moore Haven Meteor (Clewiston, FL-Moore Haven, FL)
Dates: April 9, 10

AAPRCO Special: April 23-25
Day 1: Sebring, FL-Clewiston, FL
Day 2: Clewiston, FL-Marcy, FL
Day 3: Clewiston, FL-Okeelanta, FL

And likely more later in 2022.

Western Maryland Scenic
Engine: C&O 1309 (2-6-6-2)
Frostburg Flyer (Cumberland, MD-Frostburg, MD)
Dates:
F-SU May-September
Daily EX M, TU October

Wilmington & Western Railroad
Engine: Wilmington & Western 58 (0-6-0)
Greenbank, DE to Hockessin, DE
Dates
April: 9, 10, 15, 16
May: 28
June: 18, 19
July: 4, 30, 31
September: 17, 18
October: SA-SU 9-30
November: SA-SU 5-13
December: SA-SU 10-18

Star Barn
Location: Elizabethtown, PA
Engine: Central Pacific 63 (Built in 2010s)
Dates: Saturdays Only May-September

I'll post more when I get some more time.

 

[Seaboard92]

Strasburg Railroad
Location: Strasburg, PA-Paradise, PA
Engines: N&W 475 (4-8-0), Strasburg 89 (2-6-0), Strasburg 90 (2-10-0)
Daily Service

Everett Railroad
Engine: No. 11 (2-6-0)
Easter Bunny Train (Holidaysburg, PA-????)
Dates April 9, 10

Steam Into the Cove (Holidaysburg,PA-Martinsburg, PA)
Dates: March 19, May 21, September 18

Ice Cream Special (Holidaysburg, PA-Roaring Spring, PA
Dates: May 22, June 25, 26, July 23, 24, August 20, 21, September 17

Valley Flyer (Holidaysburg, PA-Brookes Mill, PA
Dates: March 19, May 21, September 18

Valley Railroad
Location: Essex, CT-Goodspeed, CT
Engines: Aberdeen & Rockfish 40 (2-8-2), Birmingham Southeastern No. 97 (2-8-0), New Haven 3025 (2-8-2 China)
Dates: May Sat, Sun 7-22, June SA, SU 11-26, July-August Daily EX TU, WE, September Daily EX TU, WE, TH, October Daily EX TU, WE

Mount Washington Cog Railway
Location: Brenton Wood, NH-Mt. Washington, NH
Dates: Daily May 28-October 10

Cass Scenic
Engines: Various Shays
Location: Cass, WV-Bald Knob, WV
Dates: May 21-October 30 Daily EX M, TU

Durbin Rocket
Engines: Heisler 6
Location: Durbin, WV-?????
Dates: May 14-September 1 Daily EX M, TU, W
September 1-11 SA, SU
September 12-October 30 Daily EX M, TU

Little River Railroad
Engines: 110 (4-6-2)
Location: Coldwater, MI-Quincy, MI
Dates: June 19, June 26,

Monticello Railroad Museum
Engine: Southern 401 (2-8-0)
Location: Monticello, IL
Dates: May 21, 22, June 25, 26, July 16, 17, August 20, 21, September 17, 18, October 1, 2

Illinois Railroad Museum
Engines: Frisco 1630
Location: Union, IL
Dates: May 28-30, June 19, September 3-5, October 1, 2

Texas State Railroad
Engines: No. 30 (2-8-2)
Location: Rusk, TX-Palestine, TX

Cumbres & Toltec
Engines: Narrow Gauge Mikados (2-8-2)
Location: Chama, NM-Antonito, CO
Dates: Daily June 11-October 23

Durango & Silverton
Engines; Narrow Gauge Mikados (2-8-2)
Location: Durango, CO-Silverton, CO
Dates: Daily May 7-October 29

I'll finish the USA on a later post

 

[Seaboard92]

Nevada & Northern
Location: East Ely, NV
Engine: 81, 93 (2-8-0)
Dates:
April SA, SU
May: SA, SU, Plus 20, 27, 30
June-September: Daily EX TU, WE, TH
October: SA, SU, Select Mondays, Fridays

Kettle Valley Steam Railway
Location: Faulder, BC-Trout Creek, BC
Engine: Canadian Pacific 3716 (2-8-0)
Dates: May 8-June 27 SA, SU, MO
June 30-September 5: Daily EX TU, WE
September 10-October 10 SA, SU, MO

 

[Seaboard92]

Germany Daily Operations

Harz Schmallspurbahn
Location: Wernigerode-Nördlingen-Quedlinburg
Length: 87 Miles 140.8 KM
Engine Types: 2-10-2T, and 0-2-2-0T

Mecklenburgische Baderbahn
Location: Bad Doberan-Ostseebad Kühlungsborn
Length: 15.4 KM
Engine Types: 2-8-2T

Rügensche Bäderbahn
Location: Island of Rügen
Length: 14.5 Miles, 24 KM
Engine Types: 2-10-2T

Lößnitzgrundbahn
Location: Radebeul (Dresden)-Radeburg
Length: 10 Miles, 16 KM
Engine Types: 2-10-2T, 0-2-2-0T

Weißeritzalbahn
Location: Freital (Dresden)-Kurort Kipsdorf
Length: 16 Miles, 24 KM
Engine Types: 2-10-2T

Fichtelbergbahn
Location: Cranzal-Kurot Oberweisenthall
Length: 10 Miles, 17 KM
Engine Types: 2-10-2T

Schmallspurbahn Zittau-Kurort Oybin
Location: Zittau-Kurot Oybin
Length: 10 Miles, 17 KM
Engine Types: 2-10-2T

More Infrequent
Döllnitzbahn
Location: Kemmlitz-Oschatz
Length: Not sure
Engine Types: 2-10-2T

Waldeisenbahn Muskau
Location: Bad Muskau- Weisswasser
Length: Not Sure
Engine Types: Not Sure
Dates: First weekend of every month May-October

Chiemsee Bahn
Location: Prien am Chiemsee Bayern
Length: 1 Mile 2 KM
Engine Type: 0-4-0T
Dates: Random in Summer

Next up I'll do the German mainline excursions

 

[BlackDiamond]

Some steam operations in Maine:

Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum - 2.6 mile run over the original right of way of the WW&F narrow gauge (2 foot) railway that was abandoned in the 1930s and resurrected by the WW&F RM.

Dates:
April 9, 16 - Eastertime Eggspress
May 7 - Mother's Day
Schedule for June and beyond has yet to be finalized but in the past they have run Saturdays and Sundays.

Location: 97 Cross Road, Alna, Maine just north of Wiscasset.

Equipment:
#9 - 0-4-4T Portland Co. 1891 the only original WW&F locomotive left, also ran on the Sandy River and Kennebec Central
#10 - 0-4-4T Vulcan 1904, originally used at Louisiana sugar plantations then went to Edaville where it was converted to 2' gauge.
Also a Model T railcar and some Diesel locomotives used for work trains etc.

This is a wonderful operation run by a group of dedicated volunteers. I volunteered there for a work weekend in 2006. They are continuing to work on extending their track over the historic right of way.

########################

Maine Narrow Gauge Railway Museum - located in downtown Portland ME (49 Thames St, Portland, ME)
Right of way is a former Grand Trunk ROW along the Portland waterfront.
They used to run weekends although mostly with Diesel power with occasional special steam operations
No schedule for 2022 yet.

Equipment:
Monson RR #3 0-4-4T Vulcan 1913
Monson RR #4 0-4-4T Vulcan 1918 - undergoing rebuild
B&SR #7 Baldwin 1913
B&SR #8 Baldwin 1924 - currently OOS, supposed to be going to the WW&F on loan

 

[Seaboard92]

I'm fairly lazy and it's a lot of stuff to type up so here is a google doc calendar I've made with every German event I'm aware of as of now on it. If there is any you want more information on I am happy to get you the website for the booking site and help you thru the process. More than likely I'll add all of Europe on here.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zEAWh8b2-PnAdnI5tjRKynBpSRStDBceblbc1u8kjj8/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Willbridge]

I'm fairly lazy and it's a lot of stuff to type up so here is a google doc calendar I've made with every German event I'm aware of as of now on it. If there is any you want more information on, I am happy to get you the website for the booking site and help you thru the process. More than likely I'll add all of Europe on here.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zEAWh8b2-PnAdnI5tjRKynBpSRStDBceblbc1u8kjj8/edit?usp=sharing

That's a lot of work for someone so lazy!

If you happen to be in Berlin on 10 Sep 22 there'll be an open house with free admission at the Berlin-Schöneweide roundhouse museum. InnoTrans in Berlin starts on 20 Sep 22.

Tag des offenen Denkmals - Berlin macht Dampf (berlin-macht-dampf.com)

In 2014 Schöneweide was where I had lunch in the Mitropa dining car and watched five different engines steamed up.

 

[Seaboard92]

And the Union Pacific Big Boy has announced it's tour. Cheyenne, WY-Sacramento, CA-Portland, OR-Cheyenne, WY. When they post the final schedule I'll post it's actual schedule.

I firmly expect them to have a public trip somewhere and probably out of Portland if I were making a bet.

 

[Willbridge]

And the Union Pacific Big Boy has announced it's tour. Cheyenne, WY-Sacramento, CA-Portland, OR-Cheyenne, WY. When they post the final schedule I'll post it's actual schedule.

I firmly expect them to have a public trip somewhere and probably out of Portland if I were making a bet.

The classic route for UP steam from Portland is a round-trip to Hinkle. However, as their travel to Portland is over that line, and they'll be traveling on the SP south of Portland, perhaps they'd like to stun everyone with a round-trip to Madras on the Oregon Trunk. Bend and the spectacular bridge over the Crooked River is too far for a day trip, as we learned the hard way in 1956. The other heavy-duty track is on the Pool Line, but it's easy to think of headaches in running that.

 

[mcropod]

A regular steam run here is Melbourne's Puffing Billy, running from outer-suburban Belgrave to Gembrook in the Hills, way up in potato country, a rail run of just over 25kms. There are a few steam locos in the inventory, all maintained by a dedicated bunch of volunteers.

https://puffingbilly.com.au/experiences/excursion/belgrave-gembrook/
https://puffingbilly.com.au/about/rolling-stock/locomotive-fleet/
It's a narrow-gauge, and was used initially principally for agriculture and forestry purposes. It now hauls scads of passengers on weekends and public holidays (except for total fire ban days). A couple of times a year they have a race between the train (with a full passenger load) and runners which attracts hundreds of runners and much media attention, and acts as a fundraiser for the Puffing Billy Railway Preservation Society.

 

[SwedeC]

I'm happy to see the pictures above, brings back happy memories of our day on the Puffing Billy. Engine 14A pulled us up the hill in fog and mist.

 

[Seaboard92]

The classic route for UP steam from Portland is a round-trip to Hinkle. However, as their travel to Portland is over that line, and they'll be traveling on the SP south of Portland, perhaps they'd like to stun everyone with a round-trip to Madras on the Oregon Trunk. Bend and the spectacular bridge over the Crooked River is too far for a day trip, as we learned the hard way in 1956. The other heavy-duty track is on the Pool Line, but it's easy to think of headaches in running that.

Lately they've been doing a lot of just one way trips with a bus return. I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like Portland-Hinkle for the ride with a bus return. Or Reno-Sacramento. Something along those lines looks like it would work. I keep checking the website they normally sell tickets on to see if they have updated it from last years one way trip from NOL.

 

[Willbridge]

Lately they've been doing a lot of just one way trips with a bus return. I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like Portland-Hinkle for the ride with a bus return. Or Reno-Sacramento. Something along those lines looks like it would work. I keep checking the website they normally sell tickets on to see if they have updated it from last years one way trip from NOL.

I thought about a bus+rail day trip in mentioning the Oregon Trunk. It is possible to make a day trip to Bend on that basis. However, Hinkle is the easy one. It's where we went with the 844 (8444) in the 1960's. They ran from the Albina Yard via the tunnel and Fir rather than via the original Sullivans Gulch line due to curve radius reasons, so it's a rare mileage opportunity, too.

Here's my daydream trip to Bend over the Crooked River Bridge:




The trip to Hinkle seen from the Rowena Loops:

 

[Alice]

I think if I wanted to go on a UP steam excursion, I'd join the Cheyenne Depot Museum. That is also probably the easiest way to get a steam shop tour when they start up again. I'd also clear my calendar for local festivals they participate in, like Cheyenne Depot Days and Cheyenne Frontier Days, just in case a steam excursion pops up then (as has happened in the past).

 

[MikefromCrete]

I wonder if there will be an opportunity to ride behind the Big Boy. On last year's tour, the only trip that carried passengers was the one-way ride west out of New Orleans for astronomical prices. Everything else was watch the train from the tracks or take a look during an extended stop.

 

[Alice]

And the Union Pacific Big Boy has announced it's tour. Cheyenne, WY-Sacramento, CA-Portland, OR-Cheyenne, WY. When they post the final schedule I'll post it's actual schedule.

I firmly expect them to have a public trip somewhere and probably out of Portland if I were making a bet.

Postponed according to email they sent out today:

We're sorry to announce the postponement of the Big Boy No. 4014's West Coast Steam Tour as we focus on efforts to ease supply chain congestion. The tour had been scheduled to depart Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 26.

"We know many rail enthusiasts make travel plans and communities prepare to act as host, which is why we made this decision now," said Scott Moore, senior vice president – Corporate Relations and chief administrative officer. "We have a duty to continue our efforts to reduce supply chain congestion and provide customers the service they deserve; given the impact of a steam tour on our operations that focus must be our priority."

 

[BlackDiamond]

Postponed according to email they sent out today:

We're sorry to announce the postponement of the Big Boy No. 4014's West Coast Steam Tour as we focus on efforts to ease supply chain congestion. The tour had been scheduled to depart Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 26.

"We know many rail enthusiasts make travel plans and communities prepare to act as host, which is why we made this decision now," said Scott Moore, senior vice president – Corporate Relations and chief administrative officer. "We have a duty to continue our efforts to reduce supply chain congestion and provide customers the service they deserve; given the impact of a steam tour on our operations that focus must be our priority."

Apparently their "precision scheduled railroad" is so scheduled and precise that they can't figure out how to fit one steam special in,

 

[Alice]

Apparently their "precision scheduled railroad" is so scheduled and precise that they can't figure out how to fit one steam special in,

Well, I don't blame them. This train is an attractive nuisance, meaning they are bedeviled by stupid pedestrians trying to get just the right shot from too close to the tracks. This is not a train you ask to keep to a schedule, it is one where you adapt all of your dispatching to whatever it is doing.

 

[Rover]

Old #5 1875 Baldwin Locomotive being moved from the Nevada County Narrow Gage Railroad Museum up to Carson, NV for the 2022 Great Western Steam Roundup being held over the July 4th weekend.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

One of the best Railroad / History musuems in the country (and conveniently right next door to an Amtrak station!) is the Henry Ford in Dearborn MI. They operate 3 standard gauge, coal burning steam locomotives on a loop of track that passes by the historic areas of Greenfield Village. They also have a working roundhouse, turntable, and the only regularly used coal tower in the country.

 

[GiantsFan]

Didn’t see it listed - Roaring camp in Felton, CA operates daily steam trains through the redwood forest


https://www.roaringcamp.com/

 

[JontyMort]

Meanwhile, in the UK this was yesterday’s Atlantic Coast Express from Waterloo to Exeter - which I caught completely by chance at Basingstoke, hauled - appropriately - by rebuilt Bulleid Merchant Navy class pacific 35028. Note the third rail electrification. These locomotives were the mainstay of this line until the third rail was extended to Bournemouth in 1968 - the last steam-worked main line in Britain.