Despite the fact that I'm not a train buff I really enjoyed the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour. It was very informative and our tour guide Lisa was great! I think it would be a great tour for any Disney fan and particularly those with an interest in trains. I think it might be a little bit below someone with an extensive steam train knowledge base but the Disney history would hopefully be enough to keep a serious train fanatic interested. The tour does go over the basic workings of the rails and steam trains specifically so those with a lot of knowledge in that area may get a bit bored during those portions. It was a very informative and entertaining tour, I recommend it.
I took this tour many years ago. You have to arrive at the MK very early. I believe we saw sun rise. You learn the history behaind the trains and how much of a train buff Walt Disney was. Going into the train sheds where they are stored and repaired was facinating. When I did the tour pins weren't all the rage. We received an actual railroad spike. Very cool until I forgot about it and tried to get it through airport security in my carryon. Needless to say I no longer have the spike. And this was before 9/11. I'm glad they switched to pins.
If you dont mind getting up at the crack of dawn this is a great tour. Dont forget that you get a cool pin for this tour! Only major problem is getting to MK at 7:30. Usually Disney Transport isnt running that early. I took a yellow cab. Hint: Tell the cabbie that you want to go to the conteporary, if not they will try to drop you off at the TTC.