Washingtonians travel to Lancaster County, Pa., about 2½ hours from the Capital Beltway, for a glimpse of Amish life. Horse-drawn buggies. Men in broad-brimmed black hats. Women in bonnets and long dresses.

The Red Caboose Motel sits beside the Strasburg Rail Road tracks, I waited on my caboose porch for the locomotive to arrive. I heard the whistle first, then spotted the plumes of white smoke. I walked the few steps to the tracks, sat on a bench, then felt the blast of motion fluff my hair. I waved at children pressed up against windows and returned the twinkle in the conductor’s eye.

Take the train to visit picturesque Pennsylvania Dutch Country. An antique train, that is. Rolling farmlands set the scene for a leisurely tour on the Strasburg Rail Road. It’s a 45-minute ride to Paradise, Pennsylvania and back.

The Railroad Legacy of Pa. Dutch Country
By Dan Schlossberg
Trips & Getaways
Spring 2008
Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The name conjures up images of men in black riding horse-drawn buggies on country roads carved through rolling hills.
Until they get there, however, few visitors realize that the region also has a rich railroad legacy.
The steam-powered Strasburg Rail Road, America’s oldest […]

At one minute past 11 in the morning, Andy Sellers opened the throttle and sent the six-car Strasburg Rail Road train steaming into history. Make that The History Channel.

A camera crew visited the railroad Friday to take a special excursion and collect footage for an upcoming installment of the network’s “Modern Marvels” series.

Strasburg Rail Road, America’s oldest short-line railroad, will be featured on the History Channel’s Modern Marvels series. Modern Marvels is a series that tells the stories of everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man-made wonders.

The episode featuring Strasburg Rail Road will focus on locomotives and steam engines. The Modern Marvels crew filmed at the railroad all day on Friday, January 4th. The show is expected to air in March of 2008.

Looking for a great family trip in 2008? One that may be drivable and if not offers domestic travel rates?

Pennsylvania Dutch Country (PA) - Many think of the Amish when the Dutch Country comes to mind and there are ways to learn and explore about them. However there are a bunch of other fun and family friendly activities to do including: Strasburg Rail Road

Watch engine #31 travel the tracks through the snow covered farmland of Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

Trains, small and tall, are an obsession for Strasburg Rail Road president.

First we’ll climb aboard Strasburg Rail Road for a cozy steam train ride through the rolling hills of Lancaster County, then head across the street to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and look at the huge old steam trains and play with the hands-on children’s trains and tracks.