Buy the ticket, and take the ride, and slow down a little. From fire-breathing iron horses to dapper dinner trains, here are six nostalgic rail journeys to experience across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

May 10th marks National Train Day, commemorating 166 years since the ceremonial driving of a golden spike signaled the completion of America’s first Transcontinental Railroad. All these years later, flanged wheels on steel rails are still the most efficient way to move high volumes of products and people across land — granted the creature comforts on passenger trains, from the smooth ride of continuously-welded rail to the Dyson faucets on Florida‘s Brightline, have come a long way. Consider the nearly 4 million daily riders on New York’s 665 miles of subways, along with the fact that freight railroads contribute just 0.5% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and it’s clear why trains have a rightful place in today’s world.

If you’re looking to ride back in time a bit, and trade up to views you won’t get with their bim-bom subterranean counterparts that may be delayed due to train traffic ahead of them, the tri-state area has a handful of heritage railways waiting to punch your ticket. Channel your inner Francis Bourgeois and hop aboard one of these half-dozen delightful excursions, all in day-tripping distance of the city and its suburbs.

Catskill Mountain Railroad

Kingston, New York

Once upon a time, the old Ulster & Delaware stretched 107 miles from Kingston Point to Oneonta, ferrying freight and leisure-seekers westward from the Rondout waterfront into the towering Catskills. When the line nearly faded into oblivion in the 1970s, writer William F. Buckley, Jr. helped lead a local movement to save the tracks, which today survive as four isolated segments. The 4.7 miles from Uptown Kingston to Stony Hollow live on as the Catskill Mountain Railroad, which previously operated from Phoenicia on a portion now used by rail bikes. Board at Kingston Plaza and watch urban fade to wilderness from a mix of open-air cars and vintage LIRR coaches, with a gurgling first-gen diesel on the point. Your ridership will help the railroad chase its ultimate goal: restoring tracks towards the edge of the Ashokan Reservoir and the head of its 11.5-mile rail trail, which would allow passengers to continue their journey down the right-of-way by bike. While you’re in town, swing by the Trolley Museum of New York, with its plethora of veteran NYC transit vehicles (including a PATH car that survived 9/11 and those PCC cars from behind the old Red Hook Fairway) and short harbor-side trolley ride along even more of the former U&D.

Delaware & Ulster Railroad

Arkville, New York

No, we’r e not confused. The Delaware & Ulster traverses another stretch of the old U&D, reverses the name of its predecessor, and the order is dually appropriate: its starring motive power came off the Delaware & Hudson, a fallen flag “anthracite road” that once served a broad swath of New York State. Though deeper into the Catskills than usual-suspect weekender towns, the D&U’s resplendent rolling stock, paired with scenic vistas along the East Branch of the Delaware River, are well worth the hike. Choose from shorter 45-minute trips aboard open-platform and vintage commuter cars, or a two-hour dinner train on the Rip Van Winkle Flyer, a fabulous streamlined consist replete with a vista dome, tavern lounge, and a boat-tail observation car. To kick off its triumphant return after five years of track work, the railroad struck a culinary partnership with Mornings, a hip café/pantry in postage-stamp Arkville, which debuts its Korean-inspired dinner menu and afternoon tea train on Mother’s Day Weekend. Board at historic Arkville station and soak in the elegance of a bygone era. In the yard, look out for the “Red Heifer” motorcar, once a fixture on the New York Central’s Putnam Division through Westchester County, and BEDT #14, which worked the Williamsburg waterfront into the 1960s, making it one of NYC’s last steam engines in daily use.

New Hope & Ivyland Railroad

New Hope, Pennsylvania

One could say New Hope, nestled in the woods of Bucks County just upriver from Washington crossed the Delaware, has always had a reputation that preceded it. Long ago, the Reading Railroad (which wasn’t just a square on the Monopoly board) built a dedicated branch to the artsy Bucks County borough, supplanting the old canal as its connection to the outside world. Thanks to a group of preservation-minded entrepreneurs in the 1960s, the line endures, hauling passengers (and even some freight) today. While many tourist trains are off the beaten path, the New Hope & Ivyland runs smack through the middle of town, making every arrival and departure an event as Engine 40 — hissing clouds of steam while its whistle wails through Bridge Street crossing — delights riders and bystanders alike. The century-old locomotive, a 2-8-0 “Consolidation” type built by Philadelphia’s Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Lancaster & Chester Railroad in South Carolina, hauls the hour-long jaunt to Lahaska, while diesels power longer runs (like a wine and tapas train) through the Buckingham Valley.

Black River & Western

Flemington, New Jersey

One of America’s first steam tourist railroads, the Black River & Western still very much works for a living, serving various light industries (not unlike the nearby New Hope & Ivyland) in Hunterdon County. But when this Class III common-carrier isn’t switching carloads of bulk commodities, it’s taking folks on leisurely rides through the New Jersey countryside. The 70-minute round trip from Flemington to Ringoes traverses a scenic, rolling landscape, passing through woodlands, farm fields, and over the 40-foot Neshanic Trestle. On select dates, enjoy the Hunterdon Wine Express in partnership with Old York Cellars, one of a growing number of wineries (and farm breweries) in the area. Fun fact: No. 60 was the last steam locomotive to ever run on the Long Island Rail Road, an unlikely distinction for an engine built to pull sugar beets in Colorado. The occasion? A 1967 PR stunt by Ron Ziel, noted railfan author and a founding editor at Dan’s Papers, to promote his proposed “Sag Harbor & Scuttle Hole Steam Railroad.” 60 was barged across New York Harbor to Bay Ridge and ran all the way to Montauk. You won’t catch it in the Hamptons again, but you can ride behind the engine (or its diesel brethren) with your dog — provided, of course, they’re leashed and well-behaved.

Naugatuck Railroad

Thomaston, Connecticut

Less than an hour’s drive from just about anywhere in Fairfield County, the “Naugy” (as it’s affectionately known) might be better described as a rolling museum than a tourist railroad. That’s because it’s owned and operated by the Railroad Museum of New England, whose volunteers keep the nearly 19-mile line through the Litchfield Hills, which extends north from Metro-North’s Waterbury Station — crowned by a grand, campanile-like clock tower inspired by the Torre del Mangia in Italy — in ship shape. The regular run is Thomaston to Torrington, a breathtaking route that snakes across Thomaston Dam and onward past woods, rock walls, and waterfalls. Passengers can choose from several classes of service, including 1920s heavyweight coaches from Canada and a first-class lounge with snack and beverage service, including a beer collab with nearby Clocktown Brewery. While you can’t go wrong ordering the usual, it’s the schedule of themed trains and original experiences that really sets the Naugy apart, many of which engage local businesses and the community at large — like the Torrington Twilight Express, which lets passengers disembark for dinner in town. Show your ticket for a discount at select eateries (like Geppetto, sister to Park Slope’s Convivium Osteria) before hopping the return trip.

Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

Essex, Connecticut

What better place to blow off steam than down by the water? Following the Connecticut River from charming Essex through Deep River, Chester, and Haddam, the picture-perfect Valley Railroad feels straight out of a movie — and that’s because it is (and not just this Billy Joel music video). For the 1959 classic It Happened to Jane, the New Haven Railroad recommissioned its very last mothballed steamer to star alongside Doris Day and Jack Lemmon, who filmed the quintessentially New England rom-com along the serene branchline. A trio of steamers still rule the Valley to this day, pulling period Pullmans and other meticulously kept cars. Continue the journey with the connecting sightseeing cruise, passing Gillette Castle, Goodspeed Opera House, and other area landmarks, or take the diesel-led Essex Clipper dinner train, which polishes additional mileage northward. And if the chug life has really chosen you, consider shelling out for the “Hand on the Throttle” program, one of few opportunities in America to play steam locomotive engineer for a day. Essex is easily reached off I-95, or a breezy boat ride across the sound from Greenport and other points on the North Fork. Amtrak’s Northeast Regional also stops at at Old Saybrook (where the Valley’s tracks begin), a 10-minute drive away.