Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, Elbe

Today, Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Museum stands as a bridge to the past, whisking passengers through timbered foothills, alongside mountain streams, and across wooden trestles aboard trains led by restored locomotives. But roughly 34 years ago, the company was just an idea bouncing around the head of Tom Murray Jr., who made it his mission to preserve the sights, sounds, and experiences of a bygone era.

With the help of a friend, and later, many volunteers, Tom established MRSR as a tourist train service, a title the company retains to this day. As a result, the last three decades have been filled with seasonal weekly excursions that send customers chugging around the forestry that unfurls in the shadows of Mt. Rainier. Volunteers still maintain the majority of the organization, and with every ride, passengers are reminded that railroads have linked the United States in a manner that airplanes, cars, and gas-powered pogo sticks never could. The museum's new expansion includes larger exhibits where visitors can experience the Railroad Logging Camp; a section of exhibits that highlight past life on the railroad logging camp in the early to mid 1900s. The museum also features exhibits such as the House of Gears and the Rod House where trains are on display. Visitors can also revel in in the restoration shop where they can witness a steam engine being built from the ground up.