This little town, named by French Huguenots, is located southeast of Lancaster on Route 896 and is a paradise for rail buffs. Until the invention of the auto, railroads were the major mode of fast transport, and Pennsylvania was a leader in building and servicing thousands of engines. The Strasburg Rail Road (tel. 717/687-7522), winds over 9 miles of preserved track from Strasburg to Paradise and back, as it has since 1832; wooden coaches and a Victorian parlor car are pulled by an iron steam locomotive. The railroad head is on Route 741 east of town and is open from April to October daily, and on weekends only from November to March. The fare is $9 to $13 for adults and $4 to $5.50 for children, depending on whether you go coach, dining car, or deluxe; toddlers are $1. Other attractions include the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (tel. 717/687-8628), displaying dozens of stationary engines right across from the Strasburg Rail Road; the National Toy Train Museum (tel. 717/687-8976), on Paradise Lane off Route 741, with five huge push-button operating layouts; and Choo Choo Barn-Traintown USA (tel. 717/687-7911), a 1,700-square-foot miniature Amish Country landscape filled with animated trains and figures, which enact activities such as parades and circuses. It's linked up with the inevitable authorized Thomas Trackside Station store.