Not just for rail enthusiasts.

Moodna Viaduct is probably stuff you only see in movies. Yet it is real and is only an hour’s drive from New York City. Like Hogwart’s Express in the Harry Potter movies, it is an elevated railway—a “viaduct”—suspended in mid-air 200 feet high and 3,000 feet long spanning atop a hilly meadow between Schunemunk Mountain and the town of Cornwall in Orange County, New York.

New Jersey Transit operates the Port Jervis Line on the railway servicing commuters from the northern and western parts of Orange County going to work in New York City and then coming back seven days a week. I used to ride on that train daily and always enjoyed the crossing at Moodna. Coming from New York City, majority of the passengers get off at Harriman—the station before Moodna Viaduct—so the train is virtually empty and I can look out the windows on both sides of the train to admire the view.

The Port Jervis Line runs between Hoboken in New Jersey and Port Jervis in New York, a town that borders with Pennsylvania. If you only wish to experience Moodna Viaduct, however, you can simply drive to Harriman Station then take the train for the next station, Salisbury Mills/Cornwall, 15 minutes away. You\’ll pass Moodna Viaduct along the way. Fare is only $2.75 each way.

I am not suggesting you do this, however. Careful planning is needed because the railway is single-track, meaning, trains in both directions share the one track. Trains do not run as frequent as you might like. You will end up sitting idly at a train station staring out into the parking lot for 22 minutes to an hour or more with nothing to do while waiting for the train to reach its final destination, turn around, and come back for your return trip. Train glass windows may also not be pristine-new—they\’re general public commuter cars—and could have scratches far too many for any serious type of photography.

Still, once back at Harriman, Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets—arguably New York’s most famous outlet shopping center—is only a 6-minute drive away. A short, elevated rail ride surrounded by hills and mountains and nature could, especially for those enthusiastic about rails, be an interesting companion activity to a day of shopping. No need to travel to the United Kingdom or Switzerland for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. A “Hogwarts Express”-like train ride experience is well within reach from New York City.