文字难度：★★☆
Construction began in 1846 on the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad, so business travelers and others have been gazing out the windows of trains 1)huffing north into the White Mountains of New Hampshire for quite some time. Eddie and Brenda Clark only took the idea of a train rolling through tree-carpeted countryside and turned it into a 2)lavish autumn excursion for sightseers in no particular hurry.
波士顿—康科德—蒙特利尔铁路的修筑工程是于1846年启动的，所以，早已有商务旅行者以及其他乘客坐在这轰隆隆响着北上新罕布什州怀特山的火车上欣赏过沿路的风景。艾迪·克拉克和布兰达·克拉克只不过把原本穿行于茂林乡野的单纯火车路线变成了一个让游客能够从容享受的豪华秋游项目。
When the Clarks bought the line in the 1980s, they originally had in mind a railroad theme park. That plan grew into the 3)Hobo and Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroads, which cover about 55 miles of track in New Hampshire.
在克拉克夫妇于上世纪80年代买下这旅游线路的时候，他们原本的想法是建一座铁路主题公园。那个计划后来变成了维尼彼萨奇湖区悠然铁路游——一段覆盖新罕布什州内55英里（约88.51千米）的火车路程。
The trip “fits that whole image of New England in the fall,” said Emily Clark, Eddie and Brenda's daughter-in-law, who works for the family-owned Hobo line.
艾美莉·克拉克是艾迪和布兰达的儿媳妇，如今在这条家族铁路漫游线上工作。她说，这条线路“最适合大家用来欣赏新英格兰地区的秋色”。
It is one of many 4)vintage (or tourist) railroads—using steam or diesel engines—in the Northeast that do most of their business in the autumn, and for good reason: They take sightseers through woodland faster than on foot but slower than in a car. On the tracks, “you make good progress, but you aren't flying by, unable to enjoy the view,” said Jim Wrinn, editor of Trains magazine.
与众多以蒸汽或柴油火车行走美国东北部的旧式（或旅游）铁路一样，这条铁路漫游线也是在秋天最受欢迎。理由显而易见：对游客来说，乘坐火车穿过林地比徒步要快，但又比开车要慢。坐在火车上，“你行进的速度并不慢，但你又不会一掠而过，错过了美景”，《火车》杂志的编辑吉姆·怀林恩如是说。
5)Aesthetically, vintage steam or diesel locomotives offer trips back in time. Although the notion of “6)foliage trains” has been around since tourist railroads replaced some working ones 50 years ago, Mr. Wrinn said these trains retained their popularity because most roll through undeveloped land, like woods and farms.
论美感体验，旧式蒸汽机及柴油机火车头有种把人带回旧时的感觉。虽说早在大约五十年前，当旅游列车取代运营中的列车时，“秋色专列”的说法就已经存在了，怀林恩先生说，但这些列车如今依然很受欢迎，因为其大多会经过未开发地区，如森林和农场。
“You can drive and see the fall colors, but you're spending 75 percent of your attention on the road,” Mr. Wrinn said, “while with the train, you can let someone else take care of the transportation, and you can enjoy the changing 7)kaleidoscope of autumn colors.”
怀林恩先生说：“你当然可以开车去看秋色，但那样你75%的注意力都会在路面上。而乘坐火车的话，你无需分心驾驶，只管尽情地享受如万花筒般变化万千的秋色。”
Some of the rides are open-air, and Mr. Wrinn said that onboard, “there's a certain joy in feeling the chill of the air in your face—it's a subtle reminder that this beauty is 8)fleeting and should be 9)savored.”
有一些车次是带露天车厢的。怀林恩先生说，这样，游客在车上“定能感受到寒气扑面的喜悦——这也暗暗提醒人们：美丽稍纵即逝，要好好珍惜”。
The Catskill Mountain Railroad, which runs between Mount Tremper and Phoenicia near the Esopus Creek, 10)chugs through a 11)majestic tunnel of tree branches that looks like a cathedral. The Wilmington & Western, a 10-mile excursion, travels from the Coastal Plain region to the Piedmont, offering a glorious display of hardwoods with leaves in blazing colors.
在特伦普山和伊索帕斯溪附近的腓尼基之间运行的凯茨奇尔山铁路线上，火车嘎嚓嘎嚓地在林木“隧道”之间穿行，两旁枝叶攀高相触，看似一座庄严的大教堂。而威尔明顿与西部铁路线则是一段长达10英里（约16.09千米）的观光线，从海岸平原地区一直开到皮德蒙特，游客沿途可以看到那色彩绚丽的阔叶林。
Many of these 12)panoramas cannot be seen from a road or are very difficult to access, even on foot. The Potomac Eagle runs along the south branch of the Potomac River, near Romney, W.Va. David Corbitt, president of the railroad, said there was no way a car could get down into the deep valley, locally known as the Trough.
许多这些优美的全景在公路上是看不到的，或者说要开车靠近也很困难，甚至于步行也做不到。波托马克鹰号列车沿着西弗吉尼亚州罗姆尼附近波托马克河南边的支流奔跑。铁路公司的董事长大卫·科比特说，汽车是不可能去到河谷谷底的，谷底深处被当地人称之为“大沟槽”。
That's one reason the landscape remains 13)pristine. Mr. Corbitt said, activity around eagles' nests among the limestone cliffs is at its peak in the autumn. Fox and bear sightings are common. Waterfowl migrate through the area. Paddlers in canoes or 14)kayaks can enjoy the autumn scenery, Mr. Corbitt said, “but that's aboutit.”
那就是这里的原始景色得以保持的其中一个原因。科比特先生说，到了秋天，石灰崖壁上的鹰巢附近最有看头，经常有狐狸和熊出没，水禽迁徙也经过这个地区。游客划独木舟或皮船涉水便可以欣赏到这里的秋天景色，科比特先生说：“但也就只有这样的方式才能如此接近了。”
The mood on a foliage train tends to be more 15)serene than it is in the summer, Ms. Clark said, because children have returned to school, and the riders tend to be older. And as leaves 16)thin, rock formations and waterways are more visible.
克拉克女士说，在观赏秋色的火车上，人们的心情通常比夏天更恬静，因为孩子们已经回学校上课了，乘客大都年纪比较大。随着树叶不断地落下，铁路两旁的岩层构造与河道变得更加清晰可见。
Those who built railroads like the Boston, Concord and Montreal through the Northeastern United States more than a century ago were simply trying to find a way to transport freight and passengers from one rural 17)outpost to another. Now passengers are looking for a way to move like a 18)slowpoke.
那些一个多世纪前在美国东北部修建波士顿—康科德—蒙特利尔铁路的人们只不过是想找一条在乡野小镇之间传送货物和旅客的途径。而如今，旅客们则是期望找到一种慢条斯理的前进方式。
“You definitely get that old-world 19)nostalgia,” Ms. Clark said.
“你定能感受到那股往日情怀，”克拉克女士如是说。
