The steam rail from Cumberland, Maryland, is a scenic journey along a 32 mile roundtrip route to the college town of Frostburg.
A word of warning: there are no assigned seats for the Standard Excursion Trains and you are well advised to purchase your tickets online prior to the date. We had to pick up our tickets and were early enough, but the crowd was huge. First class and handicapped passengers are given the opportunity of boarding first. Cattle class was herded along to board through a single door on one of the carriages and I found it tedious and a tad ridiculous that in this day and age, they could not begin by filling up the cars from the back and proceed to the front, which would have made more sense than struggling past the crowded cars to the last ones near the back of the train, or assign seats when you make your reservations!
Another word of warning: the toilets look awful so "go before you went" as my granny used to say. There is a dining car where the standard American fare can be purchased: popcorn, hotdogs, and candy. The prices for these are extremely reasonable. No liqour is permitted on board the train but you may bring snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.
Upon our arrival in Frostburg we found something to eat at the Trail Inn and watched the locomotive being turned around for its journey back to Cumberland. The lines at the small restaurants were long but the folk there are friendly and the prices were reasonable.
The turn-around.
I was able to capture some great pictures en route, I hope you enjoy them!
The website below features colorful pictures and a glimpse of the history of the rail as well as other excursions available for the adventurous traveller.
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