We were having coffee on the patio of a cafe across the street and watched people boarding the train for the short scenic trip along Casco Bay to Portland's East Promenade. We then went to the East Promenade and saw the train again. Some history from their website: Starting in the latter part of the 19th century, Maine had a unique system of railroads that ran on rails that were only 2 feet apart and traced back to the traditional width of horse-drawn roadways in England, where railroading was first developed.

This is a cute, narrow guage train that takes you for a short ride along the water. It was not crowded at this time in early May. The people were nice, friendly, and informative. They were also happy to pose for pics. Although it was cool out, I sat in the open air car so I could take pictures and the views were nice. There's a walking path next to the tracks where the people wave to the folks on the train making the experience fun. It's nice to support these trains to keep them available for future generations.

The ride is short and bumpy as well as slow. This was perfect for us because it was the first time our 6 year old had been on a train. We opted for “first class” to get the padded seats, due to the weather the day we were doing the ride. It really was delightful. My only gripe would be the volume of the narration, it seems loud to me. Otherwise I am glad we did it. Our child really enjoyed it.

It was just a trip to check Maine off as a state I want to visit in my short time here in New England. I'm glad I visited. I had never ridden an old train, especially one that had a long history that wrestled sharing its time with progress (development of automobiles). And I thought that this part of Portland will be very crowded. I'm surprised it wasn't even though it was a tourist spot. Though the train ride was short (tour was 40 minutes long only), it cemented for me a little of what Maine is. I loved the salty smell of the air the moment I first arrived.

This short train trip is a unique and fun way to see a part of Portland and learn a little about its rail history. The trip is short, well-narrated and very reasonably priced. This is a good activity for kids.

I'm writing this review because when I was looking for reviews of the Portland Polar Express experience I couldn't find many. We rode the train at night, the sound of the train on the tracks, the whistle, the steam, the colorful lights, was all very magical. The conductors, waiters, and Santa were very engaging and fun, the hot chocolate and cookies were good quality, and most importantly, the kids had a blast. Santa took the time to talk to each kid and one of the conductors punched each kids' golden ticket with their initial. It was a quality experience and I'm hard to impress. We will definitely go again when the next child is old enough to enjoy it.