Eastern USA Fall Colours Steam (Ground Only)

DAY 1

Wednesday 2 October 2024
After making your own flight arrangements to the USA, you will meet the group at the Hershey Farm Inn, Strasburg. If you are on the same flight as our Flight Inclusive tour then you can join the private transfer coach to our hotel in Strasburg.

DAY 2

Thursday 3rd October
Today, we have an exciting, guided tour of the Strasburg Railway workshops before taking a steam hauled ride over their line to Paradise! In the afternoon, we will explore the excellent Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum and its large collection of locomotives and rolling stock learning of the role railroads have played, both past and present, in building and shaping our daily lives.

DAY 3

Friday 4th October
After breakfast this morning, we travel by road Orbisonia for a 5-mile steam hauled ride over the narrow-gauge East Broad Top railroad to Colgate Grove, situated amongst picturesque farm fields and enchanting forests. We will also look around the incredible workshops, "frozen in time" from the 1950's and, afterwards, we will enjoy a leisurely tram ride on the neighbouring Rockhill Trolley Museum.

DAY 4

Saturday 5th October
We will travel by road to Wilmington, Delaware for the lunch time steam hauled ride through beautiful woodland scenery on the Wilmington & Western Railroad, one of the first "heritage railroads" in the United States. The journey will take us to Mt. Cuba and return through fascinating railway features such as Wooddale Rock Cut (a tunnel without a roof), where rock walls come within five feet of the train on each side! There will be time to photograph the afternoon train departure before returning to Strasburg.

DAY 5

Sunday 6th October
Today we experience a day of history! Firstly, a ride behind a steam replica of a classic, 1860's era, 4-4-0 locomotive on the Northern Central Railroad at York taking the same route President Lincoln took for his Gettysburg address through rolling hills and peaceful valleys. This afternoon we visit the famous Gettysburg Battlefield, home to some of the most historic and scenic Civil War sites. Visitors can walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought at such iconic places as Culp's Hill, The Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil's Den, Little Round Top, and Cemetery Ridge.

DAY 6

Monday 7th October
Following breakfast this morning, we will experience an Amtrak day trip from Lancaster into New York, a two-and-a-half-hour ride, giving us six hours of exploration in the "Big Apple" before returning on Amtrak to Lancaster. Your tour manager will recommend and advise on the best sights to see in the city - Empire State Building, Staten Island Ferry, Times Square or Grand Central Station amongst many others.

DAY 7

Tuesday 8th October
We are travelling by road today to the B&O Museum in Baltimore which preserves and shares the storied legacy and experiences of American railroading. Housed in the historic Mount Clare Roundhouse, we can step directly into history and discover some of the very earliest locomotives. After our exciting visit, we will continue to Cumberland for our two-night stay at the Ramada Inn with rooms overlooking the CSX main line tracks (plenty of freight action!).

DAY 8

Wednesday 9th October
After breakfast, we enjoy a short stroll to the Western Maryland station for a full day steam excursion over the steeply graded 16-mile line to Frostburg. We ride behind the huge, recently restored Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 Mallet No.1309, the largest of its kind in operation. We have time at leisure in Frostburg to delight in our historical surroundings and explore unique restaurants and shops, taking time for lunch, before returning to Cumberland.

DAY 9

Thursday 10th October
Today we travel to Romney for the Potomac Eagle, a classic vintage diesel hauled excursion along the banks of the Potomac River with timeless, scenic views and a delicious 3-course meal served at your table. After our relaxing and beautiful journey, we continue later in the day to Elkins in West Virginia for our three-night stay at Wingate by Wyndham.

DAY 10

Friday 11th October
After breakfast, we will visit the West Virginia Rail Museum in Elkins located in the historic Darden Mill. Afterwards, we ride the amazing New Tygart Flyer, a four-hour diesel hauled excursion featuring mountain grades, an "S" curve tunnel, a high bridge, and miles of unspoilt mountain views. We travel through remote West Virginian countryside to the High Falls of Cheat, a beautiful waterfall located in one of the most remote and pristine settings in the region. A light lunch is included on our journey.

DAY 11

Saturday 12th October
Travelling by road to the former logging town of Cass, virtually unchanged for over 100 years, we experience an incredible four-and-a-half-hour round trip to the summit of Bald Knob (4,842ft). Our journey, using double headed Shay locomotives, takes us over a very steeply graded line and includes a switchback ... total thrash all the way up! The town of Cass has the world's largest collection of geared logging locos (6 Shays and 2 Climax) to discover before returning to Elkins later in the day.

DAY 12

Sunday 13th October
Today we ride behind steam on the Greenbrier Express. The route closely follows the clear, free-flowing Greenbrier River and passes through a secluded wilderness portion of Monongahela National Forest with beautiful scenes of forested mountains at each turn of the river, before arriving in the small mountain village of Durbin where a light lunch is included. After your fantastic holiday with Railtrail, we will continue by road to Washington Dulles Airport for our evening flight to London.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch