The railroad remains a good way to enjoy the golden autumn extravaganza in New England.
When spectacular plantations of brightly colored trees appear outside the windows, it's hard to overestimate the feeling of extraordinary atmosphere. The Boston Globe has shared the places where you can admire the autumn scenery while traveling by train.
Conway Scenic Railroad in North Conway, New Hampshire
The train station in North Conway, New Hampshire, built in 1874, is hard to miss. After all, a village was built around it. Now it is home to the Conway Scenic Railroad, which offers a tour on the Mountaineer, a train that consists of 1950s-style cars. They include two restaurant cars with glass domes so passengers can admire the panoramic views.
Vermonter from Springfield, Massachusetts to White River Junction, Vermont
The train, which follows the tracks of 19th-century railroads through the Connecticut River Valley, leaves Springfield in the afternoon and stops briefly in downtown Holyoke. It quickly leaves behind the city's congestion as it passes under the wooded hills of the Mount Tom range.
It's hard to forget the Vermonter, because when it rolls through the golden farmland north of Northampton, passengers are usually breathless. Blazing red sugar maples dot the fields as the train races through Hatfield, Waiteley and Deerfield to Greenfield.
The Hobo and Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad in Meredith, New Hampshire
The Hobo and Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad crosses tracks built for the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad in the mid-19th century. You won't get to Concord, let alone Montreal or Boston, on the four-hour Fall Foliage Special. Instead, you will experience the sweet taste of railroad history. The locomotives pull a variety of vintage cars, which may include a red 1920s Lackawanna passenger car or a luxury Pullman car converted for "presidential class" seating. After departing from Meredith on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, the train crosses a high trestle and follows a branch of the Pemigewasset River north to Plymouth.
