On Saturday I went on a bus trip offered by the Merrymakers Cruise & Travel, an independent travel agent. This trip was to Tioga Central Railroad for a ride on an excursion train including a dinner served on the train. I have been meaning to try the Tioga Central Railroad. It was added to my notes on Wellsboro back in 2011 but I didn’t know how to find the place. This bus trip was very convenient. I drove out to the airport in Montoursville where the bus picked up passengers at 2:00 p.m. It only takes an hour to drive north to Wellsboro and the train did not start boarding until 6:00 p.m. I don’t know why they allowed so much time to get there, but we wound up with some free time in Wellsboro. I didn’t mind that because Wellsboro is a quaint little town. Although I’ve been to Wellsboro many times on trips to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, I did find a few more establishments to check out.
First I checked out Pop Culture, a store devoted to gaming. There were several groups of people playing games in the store. I assume they were engaged in role playing games. Then I went to the From My Shelf Books book store and bought a science fiction book, Blood Music by Greg Bear, because I’m currently reading one of his other books. Over the winter I may start writing a science fiction novel because that is on my bucket list. I plan to write about space travel, recreational space travel. It will be fun to vividly imagine the ultimate trip.
Warehouse Theatre
I found the Warehouse Theatre and The Native Bagel north of Main Street in an area I have never visited. Both were closed but I took some good photos for my notes. I also entered Garrison’s Men’s Shop to look around. I ordered a cup of coffee and an egg muffin at the Wellsboro Diner just to use their restroom. They did have a few tourist brochures outside the restroom so I picked up a few. The Shopping & Dining Guide to Wellsboro has a map which is useful for identifying the most significant establishments. I also stopped in at Wild Asaph Outfitters where I bought a Guide To The Susquehannock Trail System. Those hiking trails are in Susquehannock State Forest of Potter County, near Coudersport PA. I may eventually visit that area.
Tioga Central Railroad
The Tioga Central Railroad is located in a very rural area. I could see a huge barn with two grain silos at the base of the mountain. The freight train station was located within a huge corn field. It was quite a shabby little establishment with a pathetic gift shop but that just made it seem more authentic than touristy. I enjoyed the sense of being out in the country.
The train left promptly at 6:00 p.m. We were served a turkey dinner prepared by a professional chef. A turkey dinner is usually a very conservative meal which is probably going to be a little bland. But this was definitely the best turkey dinner I have ever eaten. Everything was obviously carefully prepared with great skill to taste perfect. This meal was better than any restaurant meal I’ve had in recent memory. As I was eating I could look out at a vast marsh which seemed to be a wildlife sanctuary for birds and ducks. Most of the scenery was mountains, creeks, wooded areas near the railroad tracks, and an occasional access road. The train took an hour to travel 24 miles and took us pass Hammond Lake. It stopped just pass an elevated section of Route 15 but not quite to the border with New York State. After dinner I was able to walk through a few passenger cars and checked out the open air car. On the ride back I sat in a passenger car but night had fallen so there wasn’t much to see. We arrived back at the station at 8:20 p.m.
Tioga Central Railroad Train Engines
The Tioga Central Railroad should be considered a hidden gem of Pennsylvania because it is located in a remote area. Only people visiting the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania are likely to experience this attraction. The ride through the countryside is like a trip back in time to when trains served rural areas. It reminds me of that old TV show, Petticoat Junction. You wouldn’t expect fine dining on such a train but I thought that meal put every New York City meal I’ve had to shame. It was a simple meal but it made it clear that a professional chef can do wonders with the old standards. If you aren’t impressed by your meal then you are not getting food prepared by a real chef.
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