LET'S GET STEAMED UP.

We've been waiting, and there is good news out of Cumberland, Maryland.  "The world’s largest operating compound Mallet steam locomotive is back on the main line."  After a few test runs, possibly during the long weekend, the Polar Express trains of December 17, 18, and 19 will have neither eight tiny reindeer nor a Pere Marquette Berkshire on the point.

It's possible to reach Cumberland and the Western Maryland Scenic by train, and perhaps it's time to consider another such excursion for the summer.