The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, billed as "North America's Most Scenic," takes travelers back to the "Iron Horse" era. In two days the locomotive climbs high mountain passes and through the Royal Gorge between Denver and Colorado Springs.
Other tours chug through northern Arizona to the Grand Canyon and through central Texas and Nevada. Connecticut's Essex Steam Train tours New England, West Virginia has Cass Scenic tours, and California has the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad.
In central Alberta, travelers board a steam-powered train at Stettler for a six-hour journey over the rolling plains. They enjoy Western entertainment and a full-course buffet as well as a "train robbery." A more civilized tour takes place in Quebec, a five-hour journey with visits to rustic towns and Gatineau Park.
Five fully-restored steam trains traverse the Shizuoka tea-growing region in Japan, a very popular journey during the tea harvest season in May. This is but one of dozens of steam train tours in Asia and the Indian sub-continent.
