I would rather ride on earth in an ox cart, with a free circulation, than go to heaven in the fancy car of an excursion train and breathe a malaria all the way.

Nearly half a century later, that investment has paid off for the states: A 2014 report found that the excursion trains support 147 jobs in the area and bring more than $14.8 million to the remote region each year.

And not only that, there would then be the rare opportunity for passenger train services to be restored or, better still, for charter train operators to run special excursion trains too.

Comic postcards captured the sense of enjoyment that holiday and excursion trains generated and there was an added thrill of anticipation as the train chuffed slowly out of the station.

"The lengthy station platforms recall the times when heavily packed excursion trains arrived at Llangollen from all over Britain from the mid-1860s right the way through until the mid-1960s.

Special excursion trains loaded with trippers arrived from the mining townships.

Billed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," people traveled across the globe to view its splendor and to ride excursion trains across the 2,000-foot expanse.

We do have chartered excursion trains from time to time, and we work closely with the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and the Mass Bay Rail Enthusiasts to operate trains on our system, but as far as running passengers from Worcester to Providence, that isn't in place just yet.

"Enormous excursion trains daily poured their thousands into the city," wrote Charles Tomlinson in 1852.

The event drew thousands of spectators with excursion trains running to Middlesbrough from Shef-field, Whitby and Newcastle.

"CN is very pleased by the success of the summer and fall excursion trains," Orr said.