This is an historic train from the last century pulled by old diesel locomotives from a bygone era, and it traverses a route originally used to haul copper to market. The 4-hour round trip is slow and leisurely, with plenty of time to just enjoy the experience. We paid a little extra to ride in a first class car, which has more spacious and comfortable seating, along with welcome champagne and a nice snack buffet.
Our attendant in the first-class car, Deb, made the trip most enjoyable with her warm personality, her attentive service, and her repertoire of interesting facts and anecdotes. She was special and helped make the trip thoroughly interesting and enjoyable! The climate-controlled cars are comfortable, and there is full bar service with a variety of reasonably-priced drinks.
There are canopy-covered open-air cars where you can go outside and enjoy unencumbered scenery, take photos, and enjoy the ride. The route passes through a pitch-black tunnel and over a bridge overlooking a 150-ft. gorge.
The train station has adequate parking, a well-stocked souvenir shop, a snack bar with reasonably-priced snack items, and plenty of seating while waiting for boarding time.
The only disappointment was that they don't tell you when you are purchasing the tickets on-line that there are AAA, AARP, and several other discounts available... but, once you buy the tickets on-line, it's too late! This disappointment caused us to downgrade the overall rating from Excellent to Very Good.