Adirondack Railroad 2023 Season

Quite by chance, I came upon Adirondack's "Cabin Fever Special" in Remsen yesterday.

Here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMaov1iZuCs

I looked at the Adirondack Railroad website yesterday and did not see any scheduled trips beyond Thendara to either Big Moose or Tupper Lake. What gives. Will all that new track not be used?

There will be trips to Tupper out of Thendara, at least weekly, and one full trip from Utica to Tupper per month, maybe two per month in the fall.

Work around Tupper isn't set to happen until later in the season, which could affect those trips.

That's per info given at rules class last weekend.

To add to tree68's reply, the state still has more work to do on the corridor. There is platform and track work in Tupper, and platform work in Sabattis and Beaver River, at least the last I knew. That work will affect the railroads ability to run trains north of Big Moose this year. Whatever trains are run, they will be working around the work schedule.

Tree 68 and jurtz, thanks for the updates. I'll look later to see what trips are finally offered.

NARCOA (North American Railcar Owners Association) is running an excursion this weekend.

Yesterday they traveled Thendara-Remsen (State)-Thendara (stopping at the Buffalo Head in Forestport Station for lunch) and, in the evening, Thendara-Big Moose-Thendara.

Today, it's Thendara-Tupper-Thendara.

This video from yesterday features a few looks at the group in Forestport Station & at the Kayuta Lake trestle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKgo_J1xQQo

As an Honorable LifeLong RailFan, enamored of all things remotely related to railroads, trains &c, it seems to me that the NARCOA excursions are one of the best kept secrets of our realm. Have seen many well documented excursions on youtube which are fascinating.

Here's the question: How does one hitch a ride? I am aware of the cost of ownership, so I'm willing to bring along, and part with my dear, dear friends The Dead Presidents.

Would like to pair the rail car excursion with an Amtrak one. Seems like the thing to do.

Check out Narcoa.org for more info on the group.

Ah, thank you.

There was a reference to the need for work on platforms that, it seemed, had to be done before any trains could run to Tupper Lake. Yes, platforms are nice, but there were two successful runs to Tupper last fall without any platforms. I also wonder about the need for a platform at Sabattis now that the Boy Scout camp it was supposed to serve has been sold.

Take a look at some photos of Tupper Lake station as it currently exists:

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm7 ... 5_Depot_NY

The ground between the tracks and the station is a combination of gravel, dirt, not exactly level, and has some embedded concrete, aka tripping hazards. Yes, they ran a couple of inaugural trains up there last year, but it is simply not in suitable condition to function as a terminal station on a railroad. I imagine the railroad will try to work with tour bus companies, especially in the fall, and those tours usually carry a lot of older folks who don't mix well with muddy, uneven ground. There is also no public parking to speak of there.

This image from the Empire State Passenger Association (need to scroll down a bit) shows the proposed work, which includes the platforms, siding tracks, wye and a service facility.

https://www.esparail.org/news/adirondac ... on-begins/

As for platforms at Sabattis and Beaver River, I'm more inclined to agree that they might be superfluous. But they are still in the plans the last I heard, and that work will affect the ability to run trains through those areas.

Here's the June 11th Thendara-Big Moose train passing through the big rock cut 1.2 miles south of the Big Moose station (both northbound & southbound views included along with a close-up of the Bear Head & crew interview back in Thendara):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRnslc3QKm0

Here is a link to a photo in the "Adirondack Daily Enterprise" that shows a young moose next to the "Tupper Lake Explorer" train as it reached it's turn-around point in Sabattis. A sighting like this is hardly "guaranteed" on any other run, but it seems it should increase the interest in this option of an out-and-back run from Tupper Lake.https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.c ... se-tracks/

Looks that there was a Utica-Thendara-Tupper Lake train today, August 3. Anyone know what the ridership might have been? I haven't heard of anyone being enticed by the moose photo in my previous post for the shorter ride out of Tupper Lake, but I am curious how many took the longer ride - a ride that includes some of the most iconic Adirondack scenery - from either Utica or Thendara.

The Tupper Lake trips have taken a hit as a result of the heavy rains. There was also a washout south of Thendara, but that's apparently being fixed, as the railroad will run out of Thendara on Thursday, per my information.