Barry Melek Electric Train Sets

Northeastern Caboose

I'm not sure why on scenic train rides you can have a beer, but you can't on a bus. In any case, this is one of the reasons to take a train ride. Another reason is that they go where the roads don't, so you'll see scenery you miss when driving. Trains don't have to stop at traffic lights, and you can get up and walk around. Finally, trains are relaxing for all the reasons above AND the rythym of the rails.

Amtrak has scenic sections, and there are also numerous dinner trains operating around the United States now. However, the most scenic train rides are the classics. Below are a few to whet your appetite.

The Silverton-Durango Narrow Gage

I first caught this train far from any road. I was in the Weminuche Wilderness Area, next to a footbridge over the Animas river, where they stop if backpackers there flag them down. More recently, my wife and I took the train from Silverton to Durango. Wherever you catch this train, it will be an experience you won't forget.

It is a classic steam locomotive that goes through Colorado's San Juan Mountains, along the Animas river. At times you'll look out the window, over the edge, to the water hundreds of feet below. In Silverton you can eat good food, buy souvenirs, and see an old-west mining town that hasn't much with time.

La Nariz Del Diablo

Train rides on this line, which goes from Riobamba to Alausi, Ecuador, are scenic and adventurous. On our recent trip, my wife stayed inside, but I rode on the roof for the first half of the ride. Despite the occasional rain, there were twenty other travelers up there. I highly recommend you pay the dollar to rent a pillow to sit on. Your final destination is a valley with a view of a rock formation high above, called "La Nariz Del Diablo," or "The Devil's Nose."

Be careful of tree branches if you're on the roof, and be prepared for a five-hour ride. It starts in downtown Riobamba, in the highlands of the central Andes Mountains. You'll travel through "cloud forests" and finally down to a much warmer climate. Interestingly, the train descends some streches of track caboose-first. There's a lunch stop in one of the small mountain towns. When we took the train (May 2004), it was limited to 40 passengers, and tickets sold out quickly.

Agawa Canyon Railroad

One of the more scenic train rides in the north, starts and ends in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, Canada, just over the border from Sault Saint Marie, Michigan. It's an all-day trip that goes through a rocky and heavily-wooded wilderness, along the Agawa River, to Agawa Canyon. At the canyon, you can have a picnic in a beautiful meadow, or just relax and enjoy the scenery, before reboarding for the return trip.

Autumn, when the maples have all changed color, is the most beautiful time to take the train. It's also the most difficult time to get tickets, so plan far ahead. The route is also run as the scenic "Snow Train," in winter.

The Thunder Mountain Line

Thunder Mountain Line has scenic train rides that take several routes in Idaho, starting from Horseshoe Bend and Cascade. Depending on the route you choose, you'll travel through dramatic narrow canyons, sagebrush-covered hills, mountain meadows, or pristine evergreen forests. The tracks follow the mountain trails settlers used a hundred years before. You may see deer, fox, elk, blue herons, osprey, and bald eagles. Rides vary from three to five hours, depending on the route.

Amtrak's Scenic Train Rides

The California Zephyr, Amtrak's train from Chicago to San Francisco, passes through the Rocky Mountains and the more beautiful (in my opinion) Sierra Nevadas. The Coast Starlight goes from Seattle to Los Angeles, with views of snow-covered mountains, thick forests, and long stretches of Pacific Ocean shoreline. Amtrak's Auto Train is a unique scenic train ride that allows you to take your car with you from Lorton, Viginia, to Florida.

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com

Caboose $103.56 A caboose or brake van or guards van is a manned rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 156 Publication Date: 2010/04/27 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.36 inches

Caboose of Modern Train $39.99 Caboose of Modern Train - Giclee Print

Caboose Mystery $10.27 Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny used to live alone in a boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather and are spending the summer traveling on a train--in their own caboose, Number 777. On the trip, they encounter a strange mystery surrounding the history of their caboose!

Reading Four-Wheel Caboose $19.99 Reading Four-Wheel Caboose - Premium Poster

Valentine Limited, Boy in Caboose $39.99 Valentine Limited, Boy in Caboose - Giclee Print

Washington - Union Pacific Caboose $19.99 Washington - Union Pacific Caboose - Premium Poster

Sailors on Caboose, Tijuana, Mexico $24.99 Sailors on Caboose, Tijuana, Mexico - Premium Poster

CLOSEOUT!! Joovy Rain Cover For Caboose $29.99 CLOSEOUT!! Joovy Rain Cover For Caboose

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Northeastern China $24.99 Stocktrek Images Northeastern China - Photographic Print

Alife Men's Northeastern Sneaker $70 Alife Men's Northeastern Sneaker

Flora of Northeastern Minnesota $90 Flora of Northeastern Minnesota

Photo of Men Standing in Front of Caboose $49.99 Photo of Men Standing in Front of Caboose - Giclee Print

Northeastern University, Collage $69.99 Northeastern University, Collage - Throw Blanket

AE Caboose Regular $29 Download the AE Caboose Regular font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

AE Caboose Shadow $29 Download the AE Caboose Shadow font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

AE Caboose Alternates $29 Download the AE Caboose Alternates font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

AE Caboose Alternate Shadow $29 Download the AE Caboose Alternate Shadow font for Mac or Windows in OpenType, TrueType or PostScript format.

Caboose Ultralight Rain Cover $34.99 Keep your kids dry with the Joovy Caboose Ultralight Rain Cover. Compatible with the Joovy Caboose Ultralight Stand-On Tandem Stroller (sold separately), the Joovy Caboose Ultralight Rain Cover is the perfect solution for unexpected afternoon showers and windy days. The ventilated Joovy Caboose Ultralight Rain Cover features a unique front opening to easily pass bottles, sippy cups and more to your kids.

The Caboose Who Got Loose $18.42 Katy Caboose is tired of being last, and one day, a freak accident allows her to escape the smoke and the noise.

A Ladder Leads to the Top of a Train Caboose $39.99 Raul Touzon A Ladder Leads to the Top of a Train Caboose - Photographic Print

Melissa And Doug Chunky Scene - Red Caboose $9.99 Melissa And Doug Chunky Scene - Red Caboose

Map of Northeastern Italy $19.99 Abraham Ortelius Map of Northeastern Italy - Premium Poster

Map of Northeastern Africa $19.99 Abraham Ortelius Map of Northeastern Africa - Premium Poster

Alife Men's Northeastern Casual Sneaker $55 Alife Men's Northeastern Casual Sneaker

Who's The Caboose? - $14.99 In this mock documentary, a filmmaker who has received a grant to make a feature about fatally ill homeless people decides at the last minute to instead turn his camera on Susan (Sarah Silverman), a stand-up comic who has decided to make the big move from New York to Los Angeles in hopes of breaking into television. However, she waits until the last minute to tell her boyfriend Max (Sam Seder) about this little change in her life. Max is surprised, but decides to tag along in an attempt to be supportive, even though once they get to California he finds they won't be living together as he expected. Susan dives into the Hollywood audition circuit head first, while Max stays with his friend Earl (David Waterman), who has a deal for a TV pilot, and gripes cynically about how superficial Hollywood can be. But while Susan finds she can't get a part to save her life, Max is suddenly the toast of the Hollywood hipster set, and suddenly everyone in town wants to offer him a deal for a pilot. Who's The Caboose? features a number of noted stand-up comics and TV personalities in supporting roles, including Andy Dick, Kathy Griffin and David Waterman; the film was screened as part of the 1999 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Northeastern University - Starter Mat $27.08 Northeastern University - Starter Mat Northeastern University - Starter Mat - Size: 20" x 30

Northeastern University - Football Mat $33.88 Northeastern University - Football Mat Northeastern University - Football Mat - Size: 22" x 35

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