Life's Little Adventures

Shanklin, Isle of Wight, England

Here's another sample chapter from my guidebook Daytrips London, Seventh Edition. This has been updated in preparation for an eighth edition due in 2010.

 

 

Trip 26

Shanklin

(Isle of Wight)

A Daytrip from London

 

Just off the southern coast of England lies the Isle of Wight, a delightful island whose bracing air and spectacular scenery combine to form an unusual and very enjoyable daytrip destination. A favorite holiday retreat ever since the days of Queen Victoria, it remains relatively unknown to foreign travelers. Although the Isle of Wight shares a common heritage with the rest of England, its friendly people regard themselves as somehow different from the mainlanders. Here, British sophistication yields to simpler charms and London seems far away.

GETTING THERE:

Trains leave London's Waterloo Station hourly for Portsmouth Harbour Station, the ride taking about 1½ hours. On arrival there, follow the crowds to the pier, a part of the station complex, and board the Wightlink ferry to Ryde. BritRail Passes are not accepted on the boat, so you may have to buy a ticket. Fifteen minutes later you will disembark at Ryde Pier Head. Get on the waiting train marked for Shanklin and take it as far as Sandown, a ride of 17 minutes. You will probably be returning from Shanklin, so be sure to get a round-trip ticket from London to there if you do not have a BritRail Pass. Combined tickets including the ferry, and also for the I.O.W. Steam Railway are available. Check the return schedule on arrival to avoid missing the last evening connection back to London. Rail schedules at W: nationalrail.co.uk. Photo of ferry courtesy of IW Council, www.islandbreaks.co.uk.

By Car, follow the A3 from London to Portsmouth Harbour, a distance of 71 miles. Continue on by passenger ferry and rail or bus, as above. It is impractical to take a car to the Isle of Wight for only one day.

PRACTICALITIES:

The Isle of Wight is most attractive between mid-spring and early fall. Good weather is absolutely essential to enjoyment of this trip.

The local tourist office for Shanklin is at 67 High Street, near the Old Village, T: (01983) 862-942. For the island in general contact Isle of Wight Tourism, County Hall, Newport, I.O.W. PO30 1UD, T: (01983) 813-813, W: islandbreaks.co.uk. Ferry schedules are available at T: (0871) 376-1000, W: wightlink.co.uk. 

FOOD AND DRINK:

Being a popular tourist area, the Isle of Wight is well endowed with restaurants and pubs. Some choice establishments in Shanklin are:

 

[list is being revised for new edition]

 

Click on map to enlarge.

 

SUGGESTED TOUR:

Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.

Arriving by ferry at Ryde Pierhead (1), board one of the vintage London Underground cars that serve on the I.O.W. Electric Railway, W: island-line.co.uk, and ride it as far as Sandown Station (2). From there walk straight ahead down Station Avenue and make a right on Albert Road. This leads to The Esplanade, a road built atop a sea wall, which is crowded with vacationers during the season. The beach here is perhaps the best in England, with fine sand and a long, gradual slope. Ahead lies the Pier (3), an attractive modern structure; a stroll to its far end will reward you with a lovely panorama of sea, cliffs, and rolling hills.

Just beyond the pier turn right off The Esplanade and climb Ferncliff Crescent, which begins as steps. At the top make a left into Battery Gardens (4). Amble through this to Cliff Walk and follow the trail that leads to Shanklin. For the next 1½ miles the pathway, sometimes becoming a road, clings to the upper edge of a steep precipice. Far below, tiny bathing huts make a tenuous hold on the narrow strip of sand between sea and cliff. Midway, you will pass the settlement of Lake. Shanklin now opens into view and beyond it lie the hills that define the southern end of Sandown Bay.

 

Photo of Old Village courtesy of IW Council, www.islandbreaks.co.uk

At Shanklin, continue along the Cliff Walk to the Cliff Lift and turn right on Palmerston Road, following it to the center of town. At High Street make a left, passing the tourist office, and step right out of the present century. The Old Village (5), oozing with quaintness, is just about everyone's vision of that imagined England of long ago. Thatched-roof cottages line the streets, many of them now restaurants, pubs, and gift shops. A more romantic place to stop for lunch could hardly be desired.

Continue straight ahead on Church Road to the Old Parish Church of St. Blasius (6), one of the most beautifully situated country churches you'll ever encounter. Architecturally undistinguished and of uncer-tain age — parts of it may date from the 14th century — it nevertheless works a strange charm on the visitor. Be sure to see its interior and graveyard.

Return on Church Road and turn right on Priory Road, then left on Popham Road to Rylstone Public Park (7). This lovely spot of sylvan splendor overlooking the sea is a delight to explore and the perfect place to sit down for a rest.

From here, Chine Hollow leads to the upper entrance of:

*SHANKLIN CHINE (8), T: (01983) 866-145, W: shanklinchine.co.uk. Open April-June, daily 10-5; July to mid-Sept., daily 10-10; mid-Sept. through Oct., daily 10-5. ££. Tea garden. Gift shop.

Once notorious as the haunt of smugglers, Shanklin Chine descends into a deep and narrow ravine with plunging waterfalls. The word chine is peculiar to this area and derives from the Anglo-Saxon cine, meaning fissure. A path leads through the heavily wooded glen, passing a stone bridge, an aviary, a Heritage Centre, and a Victorian tea garden along the way. Following the right-hand trail after a fork near the lower end will reveal traces of Pluto, a secret pipeline built during World War II, which carried fuel from England across the channel to the Normandy beachhead.

At the end, where the stream runs into the sea, turn left and climb up onto The Esplanade, a road along the beach. From here you can follow the map to Shanklin Station (9) and begin the return journey. The nearby lift will save an uphill climb. Runs daily Easter to Oct. If you would rather walk some more, a particularly nice route to follow is along the beach to Sandown. There is a surfaced path going all the way.

 

ADDITIONAL ATTRACTION:

 

Photo of Steam Railway courtesy of IW Council, www.islandbreaks.co.uk.

 

I.O.W. STEAM RAILWAY (10), T: (01983) 882-204, W: island-line.co.uk, and click on "Steam Railway" in left column. Operates many days in April and Oct.-Dec.; most days in May-June and Sept.; daily in July-Aug. Check website for exact times and fares, or ask locally. 

Railfans, and many normal people as well, can enjoy a ride on the restored I.O.W. Steam Railway, departing from the Smallbrook Junction station of the I.O.W. Electric Railway, three stops south of the Ryde Pierhead station. This could be done either at the beginning or the end of your Isle of Wight daytrip.

Locomotives on the vintage trains date back as far as 1876; passengers cars from as far back as 1864! A wide variety of antique equipment is used, and rides can be made in either Third or First class — at different prices, of course.

Text and map copyright © 2003 by Earl Steinbicker, updated to 2009.

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Bluebell Railway, England

Railfans Rejoice! One of the world's very best preserved steam railway lines is within easy reach of London, and you can have a fun day riding it. I first visited this line in the summer of 1975 with the idea of filming it for a proposed travel documentary series on cable TV. That fell through, but the idea reappeared in my Great Trips guides in the late 70s, and later in my Daytrips London guidebook in 1982. What follows is from my brand new 2011 Daytrips From London guidebook

 

 

Trip 20

A Daytrip from London

Bluebell

 

The glorious Age of Steam is alive and well on the Bluebell Railway! People who love old trains will rejoice in this delightful trip as they ride across unspoiled countryside in antique coaches hauled by locomotives that date as far back as 1872.

No mere amusement, the Bluebell was a working standard-gauge branch line from 1882 until 1958, when it closed for economic and political reasons. Preservation by a dedicated band of amateurs began the following year, and since 1960 the railway has become one of the most popular attractions in southeastern England. Being a non-profit organization, staffed largely by volunteers, has allowed it to devote much of its income to improvements. The Bluebell's growing collection of locomotives is equaled only by the National Railway Museum in York. Not only is the rolling stock collection growing, but so is the railway itself as it pushes north to East Grinstead where it will once again connect with Southern main line service to London. It now operates trains as far as Kingscote station, just a mile and a half from the ultimate goal, offering an 18-mile round trip. For a special treat, the Bluebell also features the Golden Arrow Pullman, a train of genuine Pullman cars dating from 1924, which must be booked in advance.

As an extra bonus, the National Trust's magnificent 18th-century Sheffield Park Garden is within easy walking distance of the Bluebell's southern terminus.

GETTING  THERE:

Trains operated by Southern depart London's Victoria Station frequently for the 55-minute ride to East Grinstead. From there, the Bluebell Railway operates bus service 473 to and from Kingscote Station, connecting with Bluebell trains. A joint ticket from London is available. On the few weekends when this is not running you can take public bus 270 from East Grinstead to Horsted Keynes instead, but this is slow and not recommended. NOTE: The extension of Bluebell tracks and rail service to East Grinstead should be completed sometime in 2010 or so, after which the bus will no longer be needed. It is best to check schedules online at SouthernRailway.com or by phone at (08451) 27-29-20. 

By Car, take the A23 and A22 south from London, going past East Grinstead, then the A275 to Sheffield Park Station and do the train trip in reverse as there is no parking at Kingscote. The total distance is about 45 miles. Going by car is preferred as it gives you more scheduling options.

PRACTICALITIES:

Open all year, the Bluebell Railway operates daily from May through October and during local school holidays; and on weekends throughout the year. Sheffield Park Station is open for viewing even when there are no trains running, daily 11 to 4, except Christmas Day. For current schedules check their website at Bluebell-Railway.co.uk or phone (08125) 720-800. For Golden Arrow Pullman information or reservations, T: (01825) 722-801 or check the website.

It's a good idea to check the website prior to your visit as schedules vary quite a bit, and different vintage locomotives and cars are used on different days. This way you can choose a date that features the equipment you're most interested in and, if you're coming by train, a date when the connecting bus from East Grinstead operates.

Fares vary according to distance and class of service, ranging from ₤₤ to ₤₤₤₤ for roundtrips. There is a bargain family rate, and a bargain combination fare that includes transport by rail and bus from London’s Victoria Station. Also offered is a combination ticket with Sheffield Park Gardens, below. BritRail passes are not accepted on the steam line.

The Bluebell Railway is partially handicap accessible, although it is best to inquire in advance about specific needs. Dogs are welcome everywhere except in food service areas, and have their own tickets. Smoking is not allowed anywhere. There is a dress code for Golden Arrow Pullman service.

FOOD  AND  DRINK:

Complete inexpensive meals and snacks are available in the Puffers Restaurant (£), and snacks and real ale at the Bessemer Arms Pub (₤), both at Sheffield Park Station. The wonderful Victorian Refreshment Room (£) on platform 2 at Horsted Keynes Station serves draft beer and other beverages along with snacks. With advance reservations, you can dine aboard the luxurious Golden Arrow Pullman (£££).

SUGGESTED  TOUR:

Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.

 

Those coming by train will begin at Southern Railway's East Grinstead Station (1). A Bluebell Railway bus leaves from the front of the station, connecting with Bluebell steam trains. This takes you two miles to Kingscote Station (2), built in the Victorian style in 1882, abandoned in 1958, and lovingly restored in 1993. NOTE that by sometime in 2010 or so the Bluebell Railway will extend all the way to East Grinstead, directly connecting there with the Southern Railway from London. 

 

Board the train and enjoy the nine-mile *ride to Sheffield Park, the southern end of the line. Along the way you will pass the site of the former West Hoathly station before plunging into the half-mile-long Sharpthorne Tunnel (3). Next stop is Horsted Keynes (4) (photo, above), a former junction station where two lines met, and the northern terminus of the Bluebell from 1960 until 1992. There is often activity here as cars are shunted about. The carriage shed is usually busy with restoration projects on the large stock of vintage coaches. Other old cars are parked on sidings near the station; some of these may be inspected.

The journey continues to *Sheffield Park Station (5) (photo, left), the headquarters of the railway. You may visit its locomotive sheds, which house a large collection of steam engines ranging in age from over 130 years old to some built as late as 1958. On the far platform is a museum of railway relics. Those coming by car will begin their trip here at Sheffield Park, doing it in reverse.

While here, you may be interested in taking a half-mile walk to the Sheffield Park Garden (6), a lovely place with rare trees and shrubs spaced among four lakes at different levels. It was laid out by the famous landscape architect Capability Brown during the 18th century and is especially noted for its rhododendrons and azaleas in May and June, as well as for its water lilies, daffodils, bluebells, gentians, and autumn colors. T: (01825) 790-0231, W: nationaltrust.org.uk. Open March-Dec., Tues.-Sun. 10:30-5:30 or dusk; Jan.-Feb. weekends only, 10:30-4 or dusk. Open Bank Holiday Mondays. Last admission an hour before closing. ££.

Text and maps copyright © 2011 Earl Steinbicker.

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Railfan Adventures

 

A growing number of postings on this blog describe intriguing journeys by historic trains in both Europe and the U.S.A., along with visits to train museums and model exhibitions. Here they are, just click to open them:

 

Bluebell Railway, England: Europe's largest standard-gauge preserved all-steam railway offers a wide variety of experiences. A daytrip from London.

Ffestiniog Railway, Wales: A narrow-gauge steam ride through the mountains of North Wales, for visitors to that land or a very long daytrip from London.

Hoorn, Holland: Ride an ancient steam train across the North Holland landscape, then travel by boat on the IJsselmeer. A daytrip from Amsterdam.

I.O.W. Steam Railway, England. A small country line on the Isle of Wight, with equipment dating back as far as 1876.

Mariazell, Austria. Get there on a very old narrow-gauge mountain rail line, then visit the lake on the world's oldest remaining steam tram.

Miniatur-Wunderland, Germany. The world's greatest model train exhibition is in Hamburg, Germany.

My N-Gauge Railway Model: Re-creating the German Railways in miniature.

New York City's High Line: The trains no longer run, but the tracks are still there, right next to the new elevated hiking trail that cuts through Manhattan's Lower West Side.

Rocky Mountain Ski Train: Ride high through the Rockies from Denver to Winter Park.

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, England: Ride a miniature steam train to a seaside nuclear station, a daytrip from London.

York, England: Home of the National Railway Museum, considered to be the best train museum anywhere. Get there from London by High Speed rail.

Schneeberg, Austria: Ride up Vienna's "Snow Mountain" on a narrow-gauge rack-rail steam train, then hike to the summit for a view.

Spa Valley Railway, England. Ride 3.5 or more miles through the Kentish countryside in ancient coaches hauled by primitive steam engines. Board at Royal Tunbridge Wells, a short ride from London.

Strasburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A: Ride the Strasburg Rail Road behind steam, visit the state train museum, and have fun at the model train exhibition. A daytrip from Philadelphia.

Var Valley, France: Leave Nice on a narrow-gauge commuter train that takes you along a narrow valley into the lower Alps.

Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Memories of the former Liberty Bell Limited, an interurban trolley car that ran from Allentown to Philadelphia from 1900-1951.

More coming, stay tuned.

 

Interested in photography? Check out my "Assisting Avedon" blog.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

 

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Strasburg, Pennsylvania

Nearly all of my Free Daytrip Sample Chapters entries on this blog have been about travel in Europe, but now with a souring economy many folks are looking for less expensive adventures right here in the U.S.A. I had already posted Heart of the Amish Countryside from my guidebook Daytrips Pennsylvania Dutch Country & Phildelphia, so here's a companion chapter that goes well with it. This has been updated to Fall 2008, and has both a new map and new photos to get it ready for a new edition of the book.

Trip 39

 

Strasburg

 

Railfans (and normal folk, too) will literally be in Paradise when they take this daytrip into America's railroading past. That's the name of the village to which the antique steam train takes you as you ride across the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside, and that's the feeling you'll get as you marvel at the workings of these hissing black beasts.

    Strasburg has become quite a center for train enthuisiasts ever since the once-defunct Strasburg Rail Road, founded in 1832, came back to life in 1959. No mere tourist attraction, this is a real, standard-gauge working railroad that operates all year round. You've probably already seen its meticulously-restored trains in movies and TV commercials.

    Just across the street from the station is the fabulous Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world. You can easily spend hours here examining dozens of locomotives and cars dating from the 1820s to the near-present, both inside the museum and out in the yards.

    Having two major attractions so close together has naturally brought on other related sights to help make your day even more enjoyable. The village of Strasburg itself is of more than passing historic interest, with houses dating back as far as 1764 and a Main Street that was once part of the first route leading from Philadelphia to the booming West.

 

GETTING THERE:

    By Car, Strasburg is about 10 miles southeast of Lancaster via US-222 and PA-741, or 63 miles west of Philadelphia via US=202, US-30, PA-41, and PA-741.

PRACTICALITIES:

    The Strasburg Rail Road operates from February until late December (check listing). The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is open daily from May through October, and daily except Mondays the rest of the year, closing on some holidays. Most of the other attractions are open on a similar schedule. Strasburg can get quite crowded on summer weekends.

    For further information on this region, contact the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau at 501 Greenfield Road, Lancaster, PA 17601, T: 717-299-8901 or 1-800-PA-Dutch, W: 800padutch.com. Another local source is at W: strasburgpa.com.

FOOD AND DRINK:

    Some good restaurants in and around Strasburg are listed below. You can check their menus online::

    Historic Revere Tavern (3063 Lincoln Highway/US-30, in Paradise, about 5 miles northeast of Strasburg) Steak and seafood in a 1740 inn; lighter fare ar lunch. T: 717-687-8601, W: reveretavern.com. X: Sun. lunch, Mon. lunch. $$ and $$$

    Iron Horse Inn (135 East Main St., Strasburg) A 19th-century country inn with atmosphere. T: 717-687-6362, W: ironhorsepa.com. X: Tues. $$ and $$$

    Strasburg Rail Road Dining Cars (At the Strasburg Rail Road, below) Enjoy lunch or dinner while riding the rails. There are special fares plus food costs. T: 717-687-6486, T: strasburgrailroad.com. Lunch $$, dinner $$$.

    Red Caboose (312 Paradise Lane/PA-741, just northeast of the R.R. Museum) Railfans will enjoy having meals in an old dining car surrounded by rolling stock, now part of a motel. T: 717-687-5000, W: redcaboosemotel.com. $ and $$.

    Isaac's Restaurant & Deli (Route 741 in town, at the Shops of Traintown) Soups, salads, sandwiches, and the like in a friendly atmosphere. T: 717-687-7699, W: isaacsdeli.com. X: Major holidays. $ 

 

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS:

    Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.

    Since its ticket may be used repeatedly all day long and since it opens first, has a huge parking lot, and is just across the street from the station, you'll probably find it most convenient to start with the Railroad Museum.

*RAILROAD MUSEUM OF PENNSYLVANIA (1), Route 741, Strasburg PA 17579, T: 717-687-8628, W: rrmuseumpa.org. Open Mon.-Sat. 9-5, Sun. noon-5; closed Mondays from Nov.-April and some holidays. Adults $8, seniors $7, children $6. Tickets valid for multiple entries throughout the day. Gift shop. 

     This modern, state-operated mudseum has one of the very best collections of historic motive power, rolling stock, and railroading artifacts to be found anywhere on Earth. At last count there were over 100 locomotives and passenger, freight, and service cars on display inside the hall and out in the yards. Two of these are exact replicas of pioneer locomotives from the 1820s, and at least one of the electrics is of recent enough vintage to bear the Amtrak logo. But mostly there is a lot of steam. You can stand in the cab of one engine, climb into the pit beneath another, and peer into all kinds of passenger cars.

    Along with the trains are displays on the rich history of Pennsylvania's railroads and a vast collection of old-time memorabilia. Don't miss the 20-minute video shown continuously inside a period station, or the view from the upper balcony. Near the exit is a gift shop with an enticing selection of railroading books, videos, and related matter.

 

*STRASBURG RAIL ROAD (2), Route 741, Strasburg PA 17579, T: 717-687-7522, W: strasburgrailroad.com. Open daily April to mid-Nov., weekends Feb.-March and mid-Nov.-Dec. Train schedule varies, usually hourly 10-7 in peak season, hourly noon-3 in off-season.  Check their website. Ride takes 45 minutes round trip. Basic fares: Adults $12, children (3-11) $6, $2 extra for observation car, premium for parlor and dining cars. Gift shop. Bookstore. Restaurant and snack bar. 

    America's oldest short-line railroad has been hauling passengers and freight from Strasburg to the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a 4½-mile distance, ever since 1832. Decreasing revenues and destruction caused by violent storms forced it to file for abandonment in 1957, but it was saved and eventually brought back to health by a group of local railfans in 1958. Money for this endeavor was raised by the simple gimmick of making every investor a vice-president! In addition to its considerable tourist trade, the Strasburg Rail Road still carries occasional freight to Paradise, PA, where it connects with the Main Line as Amtrak trains speed by.

    A steam locomotive was acquired in 1960 (the line had switched to gasoline power as early as 1926), and some ancient coaches were discovered on a remote siding in New Hampshire, brought here, and restored. Also hauled in pieces to this spot was the Victorian station of 1882, where the tickets are now sold. Over the years since, additional old locomotives and cars were found and refurbished, so that today the railroad boasts one of the finest stables of vintage rolling stock in the nation. In addition to six steam locomotives, these include both open and closed coaches, a fantastic open observation car used in the film Hello Dolly, and a parlor car of palatial luxury. On a siding sits the elegant private car built in 1916 for the president of the Reading Railroad, which may be boarded for inspection.

    One of the delights of riding the Strasburg Rail Road is the bucolic countryside through which it travels. Small farms, mostly owned by Amish families who still rely on animal power, line the right-of-way. The few small roads that cross the tracks are just as likely to be used by horse-drawn buggies as by automobiles, so you may truly feel that the clock has been turned back nearly a century.

    Your ride on the steam train takes you from the East Strasburg Station (2) to Goff's Grove, and then to the end of the line at Leaman Place (3), by the village of Paradise, where the tracks join Amtrak's main line and the engine is run around for the return journey.

TOY TRAIN MUSEUM (4), 300 Paradise Lane., Box 300, Strasburg, PA 17579, T: 717-687-8976, W: nttmuseum.org. Open daily 10-5 May-Oct.; weekends in April, Nov. to mid-Dec.; plus Good Friday, Easter Mon., Thanksgiving Fri., and Dec. 26-31. Adults $5, seniors $4, children (5-12) $2.50. Gift shop.

    Not just another commercial enterprise, this is actually the national headquarters of the non-profit Train Collectors Association, an organization devoted to the preservation and history of toy trains. Don't confuse these delights with the more serious model trains that stress authentic detail in scaled miniature. Toy trains are the stuff of childhood dreams, and bear such famous names as Lionel and American Flyer.

    The vast collections exhibited here include examples dating from 1880 to the present. There are five huge operating layouts in O, S, G, HO, and Standard gauges, all of which respond to the buttons you push. A continuous video show entertains and educates visitors about the joys that adults (and even children) can have playing with toys.

    Almost next door to the Toy Train Museum is the Red Caboose Motel (5) (T: 717-687-5000, W: redcaboosemotel.com), which houses its guests in a yard full of real cabooses! This is a perfect overnight stop for dedicated railfans, who might also want to take on fuel at the motel's Dining Car restaurant.

CHOO CHOO BARN (6), Route 741, Strasburg, PA 17579, T: 800-450-2920, W: choochoobarn.com. Open daily mid-March-Dec., 10-5, closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. Adults $5.50, children (5-12) $3.50. Model train shop.

    Many of Lancaster County's charms have been re-created in O-gauge scale in this 1,700-square-foot model train layout. Thirteen trains whiz around while some 130 animated scenes depict barn-raisings, a circus, a parade, an amusement park, and even a house on fire. Days are compressed, too, as the lights periodically dim and a nightime scene appears.

THE AMISH VILLAGE (7), Route PA-896 a mile south of US-30, P.O. Box 115, Strasburg, PA 17579, T: 717-687-8511. Open daily 9-5 in summer, spring and fall. Opens at 10 am on Sundays. Adults $7.75, children (6-12) $3.75. Picnic area. Gift shop.

    Almost as far removed from railroading as you can get, the nearby Amish Village makes a nice contrast to all those mechanical goings-on. Visitors are treated to a half-hour tour into the world of the Old Order Amish, with stops at an authentically-furnished farm house of 1840, a spring house, an Amish village store, an operating smokehouse, a blacksmith's shop, a windmill, and a waterwheel. The schoolhouse was built by Amish craftsmen, and is typical of those in use today. And, of course, there are live farm animals, including pigs, goats, horses, and others.

CHERRY CREST FARMS (8), 150 Cherry Hill Rd., Ronks, PA 17572, T: 717-687-6843 or 1-866-546-1799, W: CherryCrestFarm.com. Open on complex schedule June to Nov.; check website or phone. Early season (no maze) all ages $8.95; main season adults $13.95, children $11.95, all ages without maze $10.95. Complete visit takes about 4-5 hours. Food stands, picnic tables.

    Kids and the young-at-heart will love a visit to this adventure farm, complete with barns, animals, farm activities to participate in, wagon rides, pedal karts, and best-of-all the Maize Maze. The latter is a five-acre maze of corn, with 2½ miles of paths to get lost in while enjoying various attractions along the way.

 

    A visit to a friendly winery can add a pleasant finale to the day's exploration. Fortunately, there's a good one just ten miles to the east, on the way to Philadelphia. The Twin Brook Winery (9) offers visits to the vineyards, tours of the 18th-century barn now used for wine making, tastings of vinifera and hybrid varietals and blends, and, of course, sales. There are also picnic facilities. 5697 Strasburg Road (PA-741), Gap, PA 17527, T: 717-442-4915, W: TwinBrookWinery.com. Open Mon.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. noon-5. 

 

Copyright © 2000 by Earl Steinbicker, updated to 2008.

 

A Personal Recollection:

Back in the late 1960s, when I was half-owner of an advertising photography studio in New York, we rented the Strasburg Rail Road for a few hours on one fine day. This was to do a nostalgic old-time photo for a men's cologne ad, featuring a steam passenger train passing through bucolic countryside. We positioned our cameras on a hill overlooking the scene, and then had the train move back and forth. The trick was in getting the engine's smoke to flow just right. To accomplish this I outfitted the engineer with a walkie-talkie, and had the other one with me on the hill so I could tell him just when to blast away. After about an hour we had enough good shots, so we had a nice Pennsylvania Dutch meal before driving back to the city.

 

Check this nearby trip, Heart of the Amish Countryside.

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My N-Gauge Railroad

And now for something completely different. Until today I've been blogging about photography, travel, publishing, music, bicycling, military service and other subjects. But model train mania?

Back in the late 1960s I once again got the modeling bug, which I thought was banished forever around the age of 12. The desire to create a perfect miniature world that was exactly the way you wanted it to be, where there was no hardship and where the trains always ran on time (when they didn't derail, that is). It all started when I was visiting the home of a fellow New York photographer, and he showed me this fantastic train layout that went from room to room, all over his large apartment. It was in N-Gauge, a size so small that the tracks are only 9 mm apart (thus the name), and where even large steam locomotives are only 3 inches long. I was immediately smitten by the possibilities of creating an entire perfectly-ordered world right in my own bedroom.

N-Gauge is often referred to as N-Scale. Gauge is about the distance between the rails, scale is about the size ratio between the real thing and the model — which varies among manufacturers from about 1:148 to 1:160, not a significant difference except to purists. I was not one of those.

At that time I was also absorbed in exploring my German heritage and was looking for an excuse to make more trips to the Old Country. By choosing to model aspects of the German Federal Railroad — the Deutsche Bundesbahn — I could occasionally fly over on purchasing expeditions to the well-stocked spielzeug (plaything) stores in Nuremberg and other cities. These sold not only beautifully detailed rolling stock but also kits for making scaled historic buildings, German style houses, little cars and trucks, and even tiny pedestrians.

I got the necessary tracks, switches, lighting, powerpacks and control electronics at a small store on West 44th Street in New York, and the plywood and 2x4s at what must have been Manhattan's only lumber yard. From these I constructed an L-shaped platform about 12 feet long each way by about 3 or 4 feet deep. On top of this rose mountains and valleys made of screening and papier-mâché, covered with plaster and strewn with tiny trees. For rivers I used a clear liquid plastic that dried like glass. A tunnel pierced the mountain, a miniature cable car carried little folk to its top, there were waterfalls, and even a working roundhouse with its turntable.

As it progressed, however, the buildings and scenery became much more important than the trains — a fact not unrelated to the difficulty of keeping them on their tracks, or running at all. A meticulous engineer I was not. Just making them run soon became boring, but the satisfaction of creating an imaginary world was a different story.

At some time in the late 1960s I had visited an historic German town on the Main River about 50 miles southeast of Frankfurt called Miltenberg. Above its market square (Marktplatz) stands an amazing array of half-timbered houses (Fachwerkhäuser) that made a perfect centerpiece for my little town. Much to my delight I later found a model kit of this very same scene, made by Kibri and in perfect N-scale, in a shop in Nuremberg! Although slightly damaged after all those years, it still sits atop a speaker cabinet in my living room. Compare what it looks like today (photo, above left) with my 1969 photo of the real buildings (photo, above). Other models of historic structures, such as the Town Hall of 1484 in Michelstadt, have long since disintegrated, as delicate plastic models are sadly wont to do.

My favorite beer train (above) transports liquid happiness. I call it Mein Zug der Gemütlichkeit.

Why are there no photos of the layout? Because I can't find them, that's why.

RECENT CORRECTION: May 2008. I did find these three photos taken with a small Polaroid SX-70 with flashbar in the mid-1970s. Not too clear, but they do show a corner of the layout with "mountains" and a roundhouse, a roundhouse turntable, and a small steam engine. Click on them to make them bigger but, alas, not sharper.

Digging through the long-forgotten boxes of these things revealed that I still possess dozens and dozens of cars, locomotives, various vehicles and other things, all of which are of German design by such makers as Fleischmann, Arnold, and Minitrix — and all of which are in good to excellent condition. What to do with them? I have neither the interest, time, space, nor energy to resurrect my railroad, so I'm open to ideas — like maybe eBay.

SOMETHING ELSE:

Well, it's not a MODEL train, but it's a collection of REAL steam trains in a museum. Best of all, right across the street is the station of the Strasburg Rail Road, where you can ride real steam trains in old-time style. All this in the heart of the Amish countryside in southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S.A.! CLICK HERE to visit.

For the greatest model train exhibition in the whole world, CLICK HERE and watch the video.

And for some more, exciting, real old-time trains, CLICK HERE.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

 

Interested in photography? Check out my "Assisting Avedon" blog.

 

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