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Scenic
excursion trains once connected the cities along
the Pacific Coast, including Vancouver via Seattle
and Bellingham. Photo on right is the Spokane
Pacific Railway excursion train.
Now at last the
Amtrak train is back with regular runs from Seattle
to Vancouver, and it's doing very well according to
our Travel Agent friends. One of Amtrak's Northern
stops, Bellingham, Washington, is also southern
terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway
fleet.
Historic
photo courtesy of Mrs. L. Zurkowski, Delta, BC,
Canada.
Western
Washington Wine and Spirit
Another leaf from Bird's book of great
Seattle
memories is the
"Spirit of Washington", a superb dinner train that
rattles and rolls from suburban Renton, across a
large trestle bridge, then along Lake Washington to
the winery at Woodinville. Every dining coach is a
classic, conversation piece and no two are even the
least bit identical. Ask the Seattle CVB folks for
more details at 206-431-4444. I honed my writing
skills in Seattle, working with Neil Strother on
his newspaper Seattle Northwest Prime Times, which
has since been sold. Neil is now a top editor in
the Internet Media field; we will link you to some
of his articles first chance we get.
American
Orient Express
This company's
choice seven itineraries feature the history and
scenery of 5 Western National Parks including
Yellowstone and Grand Teton, 12 different States,
and the Trans-Canada Rail Journey through 6
Provinces. You can tour the coastline and wine
country of California on the Pacific Coast
Explorer; or visit Dixie through 8 states on the
Antebellum South rail journey. For connections:
http://www.americanorientexpress.com/
Coming
Soon
Watch
for a feature on the
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge
Railroad. One of the
first in our series, this railroad dates back to
1881. Historic steam locomotives power the train on
its spectacular 45 miles run that links the two
former mining towns of the Old West.
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