Hi everyone, I am going to Strasburg on Saturday 5/15/04 to ride the Strasburg RR. I was wondering does anyone else know what else there is to see in and around Strasburg while I’m up there, esp if its railroad or train related.[:D]
Thanks,
Shawn
Right across the street is the PA RR Museum. The toy train museum is nearby.
Click on the Trains website for museums and follow along until you bring up the Strassburg Railroad and/or the Pennsylvania Railroad Musuem located in Strassburg. There are links to other attractions, and also there are fine Pennsylvanian Dutch restaurants nearby. It is a great area to visit. The Amish are also worth a visit and there are Amish villages nearby. Dave Klepper
Hope you can get there early because your day will be full!!!
Every time I go there, the state’s museum dims the lights when I’m checking out something I’d never seen before, like the under side of an automatic stoker… You could stay overnight in your own caboose and dine in a wood panelled dining car a short hike away. Only one day? Believe me, you’ll be going back!!!
Rick
Shawn…I concur with above advice. It’s been quite a while since we visited and rode the train but it was an enjoyable day. The museum was so clean inside at the time of our visit. Was really impressed with the first GG-I inside the museum…And that part of Pennsylvania, in my opinion is really beautiful.
At Strasburg itself you’ll need to not only ride the train, but you should also ride the miniature train around the shop area, check out the gift/book stores, try your hand at the hand pump car and if you can do the noon tour of the shops. After that head across to the RR Museum of PA. One of the best RR Museums in the country. I doubt you’ll manage it all in a day too…
LC
I’ve always wanted to go there…seems like a nice place…HEY!!! Can I come?LOL!!!
DEFINATELY go to the RR museum across the street… poke around a bit… if your lucky, they might have a tour of the restoration yard while your there… they have a recently acquired (Jan 2004) Amtrak E60 (# 603) there… really wanna go see that myself [:D]
THEY GOT AN E60!?!?!?!? AWESOME I THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL SCRAPPED!!!
Don’t forget,
Check out and photograph the only E7 left in existence!
She’s a beauty, restored to her original Pennsy maroon colors.
The Choo Choo Barn, and the TCA National Museum. Between those, the train ride, and the PRR Museum, it may be more than you can do in a single day. The Caboose Motel is one of the only things I haven’t done in Strasburg. Strasburg has to have one of the highest densities of train related activities anywhere!!!
Ah yes the Caboose Motel. ARE THEY STILL in business. wow. I am near 40 and slept there as a teenager. One thing was you could smell the coal, oil and wet steam as they “Booted” the steam engines for another day’s tourist run in the morning.
Bring funds too. If you get drawn into the model train store you may end up with alot of things. The PA Museum has the 4-4-0 that used to run on the Tourist line until the crown sheet went bad. That one was thier best engine.
Try the Hello Dolly car, it may get a bit cold with the breeze so dress well. And dont wear clothes that will get cinders or stuff on em. They run a clean operation but there is some dirt here and there.
Occasionally the Amish would put up a buggy for rides for a small fee I would allow them to take you for a ride. (Pun not intended) and dont worry about the vehicles, they usually hold behind the buggy until there is room to pass at a steady speed.
At the PRR Muesum you probably can still get underneath a large steam engine. They have cleaned up and improved the place a great deal.
And one more secret to Strasburg, they use the 0-6-0 or whichever is handy at the time to interchange out Modern Freight cars for a bit of revenue. I dont know what these are sold as to the people but generally a coach and caboose goes along with it.
Eat well and bring plenty of fluids, this is usually a full day or two or three. The shops are there with all kinds of stuff, and I believe the old Ma and Pa coaches are in storage beyond the parking lot. These may have been moved or restored I dont know.
The local area has plenty of good eats, good people and in general a family atmosphere.
You will leave with a few extra pounds around the middle. PA Dutch food is great.
Adrianspeeder
IKf you are into LGB on the right going up to Strasburg on the train is the Cherry Hill Station which Pola has modeled (I have one). Also watch the road crossings. There is a good chance that there will b one of the Almish in his horse drawn surrey waiting for the train to pass. Strasburg IS definately worth the visit!!!
ok… a little addition on the location of the E60… when you park in the lot for the steam excursion, go in the opposite direction of the station… it’s on a track with a few cars on the other side of the shop (this is as of Monday 5/10)
Hope you don’t wet your pants arriving Strasburg. You’ll know what I mean when you enter the parking lot. Go ahead and feast on everything there as time allows. You will miss enough to draw you back many more times. I’ve been there maybe fifteen times and would go with you in a heartbeat on the 15th if I could figure out which of the many pretty routes you will take. I’d be by the side of the highway with a “Strasburg or Bust” sign and a thumb out!!!
Envy you, have fun,
Rick
Hey Guys you all are welcome to go but unless you live in the Mid-Atlantic I can’t afford the GAS to go pick you up!!! I’ll try to get a few picks and post them here on another link or maybe this one when I get back. I’ll try to snap pics of everything you all mentioned including the E60 amtrak unit and the E7 Pennsy unit. There are a lot of other places I would love to go but with GAS this high ( now $1.85 - 1.95 here in DE, unleaded) I will need to stick close to home. Even a trip to the Hobby Shop now has to wait to I need to go in that direction to get something. Thanks again… Shawn[tup]