With autumn colors arriving, it’s the perfect time to take the scenic route and ride the train. And there are a lot of pretty routes on offer across the U.S.
One of the best uses of your time in the autumn is simply watching the leaves change. There are few better ways to do that than with a train ride. Most railways are fairly inexpensive, trains often go away from civilization, and you don’t have to drive yourself. That makes them ideal for enjoying a scenic journey through some hills or mountains before heading home and cleaning those same leaves your favorite leaf blower out of your lawn.
Not only will the scenery be pretty fantastic on a nice train ride, but the trains themselves are also pretty cool. There are so many across the U.S. alone, and many more all around the world. It’s pretty easy to get swept up in the scenery and not pay attention to the massive machine hauling tons of weight along these old tracks. So, we here at SlashGear figured, why not talk about both?
So, if you’re into trains and also want to ride one that’ll take you through some gorgeous fall foliage, the below railways not only have unique trains, but also sweet views for you to check out. It’s a win-win for everyone. The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway
The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway is one heck of a name, but it’s also a fun railroad for fans of autumn landscapes. This railway is one of only a couple of cog railways in the U.S., and as such is one of the more unique experiences. For the uninitiated, a cog railway uses a track with teeth that the train uses to climb steep inclines, unlike how normal trains stay on the track using curved wheels on smooth, flat tracks.
Since it’s such a unique railway, it makes sense trains would be, too. These trains are equipped with the proper wheels to make use of the extra toothed rail, allowing the train to climb. Today, Broadmoor uses a trio of Stadler trains constructed in Switzerland. These trains were delivered in 2021 and have been in use ever since. Each one is also equipped with a snowblower made by Zaugg that can blow away snow up to 10 feet high and 20 feed wide. This allows the trains to operate even in snowy conditions.
Both Broadmoor and Stadlin aren’t too forthcoming on the specific specs of the trains but given that there’s only a couple of these types of trains in the U.S., they are definitely worth a mention. Plus, the railway takes you up to Pikes Peak in Colorado, which is 14,115 feet above sea level, and it promises an outstanding view of the fall foliage from way up high. The Strasburg No. 90
The Strasburg No. 90 is one of the oldest trains in the U.S., and although it doesn’t crack the list of the oldest trains running today, it’s right up there with many of them. In its infancy, it transported cargo — namely sugar beets — through the mountains of northern Colorado. In the 1960s, it was sold to Strasburg Railway. The company fixed it up and put it to use on its tourism-focused railway.
This train is unique because of its 2-10-0 wheel configuration, also known as a decapod. This style of train wasn’t used terribly often because it isn’t the most efficient setup for a train. The railway that owned it prior to Strasburg used a fleet of 2-8-0 trains instead, with the No. 90 being the only decapod on the roster.
Good old No. 90 was built in 1924, which makes it just a hair over 100 years old. If you go to Strasburg Railway to ride it, you’ll get a calm ride through the Pennsylvania countryside, which is a great place to catch some autumn color. Mountain Rail West Virginia’s Shay No. 5
The Shay No. 5 is another old train still in service today. It’s run by Mountain Rail West Virginia, a railway company that hosts a number of trips through the West Virginia hillsides. Not only is this a great place to go if you want to see some autumn landscape, but the company’s trains are also antiques, as evidenced by the Shay No. 5. This coal burner was originally built in 1905, now spending its retirement pulling people around pretty scenery.
Shay was a rather well-known manufacturer of trains, constructing 2,767 of them between 1878 and 1945. There are several of its models still on the rails today, with Mountain Rail West Virginia housing five of them. These Shay trains are all very similar, using coal and steam for locomotion with 200 pounds of boiler pressure. Newer models like the Shay No. 6, built in 1945, were much heavier, weighing in at around 270,000 pounds while the No. 5 clocks in at 141,300 pounds.
As with most older trains, you won’t see Shay No. 5 on the list of the longest train lines, but it still gets up and goes for some autumn jaunts through the West Virginia hillsides. The Mount Washington Cog Railway
The Mount Washington Cog Railway is in rarified air, being one of only a couple of cog railways in the U.S., and one of the few in the world. This one takes passengers to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, where they get an hour to enjoy the view before riding back down. Since cog railways use special tracks that have a third rail, that means trains designed to run on them have to be specially designed to use that third rail. This is in contrast to something like a funicular train, which uses a tram-style system.
The railway uses biodiesel locomotives to ferry tourists to the top. Called the M1, which isn’t quite as glamorous as some other locomotives on the list, but this model is special because it was built entirely in-house at the railway. The M1 and its brethren are powered by a 600 hp John Deere marine engine that can deliver 30,000 lb-ft of torque to special cog wheels used to propel the train up the mountain.
