Boyertown, Pennsylvania
A summer Saturday night found us in eastern Pennsylvania and booked on an evening dinner train excursion through the Secret Valley. The Secret Valley follows alongside Ironside and Manatawny Creeks and some of the earliest ironmaking sites in America. Most of the area remains undisturbed since Europeans first settled over 300 years ago.
I initially found out about the Colebrookdale Railroad in the Tourist Trains Guidebook. This book from Kalmbach Media focuses on places across the United States and Canada that offer train excursions, museums, and historic sites. For someone like me who loves all things transportation, this travel guide is handy if you’re traveling to a specific area of the country and looking for something different to do.
The four of us booked the Diplomat Car, which was attached to the train but did not provide dinner service. Dinner service would have been wasted on the boys, but we could bring snacks on board or purchase them. Our tickets provided us with a seat in the Diplomat Car and full access to the rest of the train.
The highlight of the train was the outdoor observation car. To be able to stand outside and enjoy a late summer Pennsylvania evening was a treat. It was funny that we could not go outside right away because we had to pass a section of track where yellow jackets had decided to build a nest. I’ve mowed over enough yellow jacket nests in my life, and they can be quite temperamental when disturbed.
The boys loved the train as most boys do from their age to mine or older. Train travel offers a different intimacy with the terrain you are crossing compared to an automobile. Trains are excellent for observing nature and the communities that you pass along the way.
The trip itself lasted around two hours, providing a good introduction to rail travel for someone who has never been on a train. The staff on the Colebrookdale Railroad were very friendly, and although we did not try the dinner, I highly recommend the voyage.
