The Great Steam Train Ride

August 28, 2011
By Barbara Lawrence and John & Cheryl Schmit


What a wonderful day to go ride a train pulled by a steam engine. Traveling through the green forest, we rode on the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad and felt suspended in time. We really enjoyed ourselves as it was a lovely day - not hot and certainly not cool. There were mountain streams, prairies, flowers and a grand view of Mount Rainier as we traveled through the valley on a historic steam train ride. We departed from Elbe, Washington and made the trip out to pristine Mineral Lake for a short visit and took the train back. At Mineral Lake we found gentle trails to explore. In too short of time, we were back at Elbe.

It was fascinating to watch as the train was prepared for our journey. This was an old (1922) steam engine that was used for logging. The engine had to be moved from one end of the train to the other. Then refilled with water. While the engine was being readied, I asked the engineer if I could go up in the cab to get some video. When he said yes, I was quick to climb the ladder and get a first hand look at the steam engines main controls. After I came down, the train was then moved to the station for boarding. Read more about this engine here: Rayonier #70 - Baldwin 2-8-2 Rod Locomotive

At the station, Cheryl, Nana and I climbed into the passenger car and found our seats quickly. The windows opened easily which made it great for taking pictures. I could not sit still and had to check the train from one end to the other for just the right places to get video. I had to be near that engine when it started up.

The thick smoke, the chug of the pistons and the howl of the whistle were so exciting. The views along the way were spectacular. Even the mundane looked awesome. We had to stop once for a tree branch that had fallen across the tracks. The quiet time in the woods was incomparable. The conductor came through and announced that we would soon see Mount Rainier and also a beaver dam. Sure enough, the mountain came out from the trees and was a spectacular view from an angle we had not seen before. The beaver dam came up right after and was a model of dam building engineering. Nana said "Going towards Mt. Rainier gave me the feeling I was in the mountains of Colorado."

Our stop at Mineral Lake was as enchanting as the train ride. Walking down the path around the lake, we were entranced by the quiet beauty of the area. Sure, there were houses on the other side, and there were other train passengers nearby, but here, we were isolated in a place that almost forced you to relax and enjoy. We did! Nana didn't get off the train as it was only at the lake for about 15 minutes but enjoyed talking to other passengers who also stayed on the train.

When the train whistle blew we headed back. There was more gorgeous scenery to enjoy. The rocking, rolling rhythm of the train cars made for an easy feeling afternoon. Even sitting on the park bench seats was comfortable (or at least we didn't notice them). We had another chance to see Mount Rainier and the magical forests as we headed back to Elbe.

After deboarding at the station we watched as they moved the engine around for the next trip. It was a picture filled afternoon. Both Nana and Cheryl had their cameras clicking away. I ended up with plenty of video to edit. We hope you enjoy all the pictures and the video.

Click here to see the Barbara's pictures.

Click here to see the Cheryl's pictures.

Click here to see the video.