The Wheel Report Archives

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey On the Move in March Historically, Conway Scenic Railroad didn’t offer excursions in March. Over the last few years the railroad has gradually expanded its March offerings. This year, the railroad has been operating weekend excursions during the first weeks of the month. Our Winter Mountaineer has grown in popularity and demonstrated strong ridership. This train has continued to operate over the Mountain Division to Fabyan on Saturdays with a departure time from North Conway at 10:30am. Saturday’s Murder on the Rails has enjoyed continued popularity during February and March, and the railroad expects to continue to offer this theatrical excursion experience again on Summer Saturdays. Rules Class and Spring Schedules A very brief excursion hiatus at the end of March and Early April will allow for the annual training class for safety…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey Winter Operations January and early February found unusually difficult winter conditions. The succession of heavy snowfalls combined with bitterly cold temperatures challenged operating crews. Despite these difficulties, the railroad has persisted running work trains during the week and scheduled excursions on weekends. Most weekends, the standard four-round trip Snow Train schedule was maintained between North Conway and Conway and the 10:30 am Winter Mountaineer was operated from North Conway over Crawford Notch to Fabyan. Work extras included the following moves. On January 27, 2026, GP38 255 worked a plow train to Conway and back, then worked west to clear the Mountain Division from Mountain Junction all the way to the end of track at Hazens (location of the interchange with Vermont Rail System’s New Hampshire Central near Whitefield, NH). On Friday January 30th,…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey and Jeff Daniel Great End to 2025! Conway Scenic had a robust 2025 followed by a very intense final week of the year. After Christmas, the railroad began its annual Snow Train operations with up to four round trips daily on the Conway Branch. The railroad offered a limited operation on New Year’s Eve and this included the one-night only New Year’s Eve Late Special. This one-of-kind train proved very popular and sold out. As planned, it made a nocturnal trip up the Mountain Division and returned to North Conway just after midnight. This gave passengers the rare opportunity to experience a trip over the line that began in one year and concluded in the next! Winter Excursion Operations During the Winter, Conway Scenic primarily runs excursions on weekends, with both the 55-minute…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey Winter Operations In recent years, Winter has evolved into a more intensive time of year for Conway Scenic operations. In addition to the Journey to the North Pole evening charter trains, this season the railroad has been operating three Santa’s Holiday Express excursions on the Conway Branch on Saturdays and Sundays, plus the new Winter Mountaineer to Crawford on Saturdays. The Santa’s Holiday Express is a daytime on-train experience that includes on-board holiday themed entertainment for the delight of young travelers. Among the cast of characters entertaining guests is the popular man in the red suit. Extra holiday trains have also been operated for groups. This included the Angels & Elves charity excursion arranged in cooperation with the Kiwanis Club of the Mount Washington Valley. This special evening train operated on the Mountain…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey plus Santa’s Holiday Express photo by Chelsea Hupalowsky Autumn keeps Right on Rolling The 2025 Autumn season has continued with daily operations up through Veterans Day. In addition to four-daily Valley train schedules running between North Conway and Conway, the Mountaineer to Crawford has continued running on Saturdays and Tuesdays and has carried large numbers of visitors over the Mountain Division. Among the railroad’s autumn events was the new Halloween Express, which operated on October 18th & 19th and 25th & 26th. This was an on-board train experience with actors playing a variety of seasonally appropriate characters to delight young visitors. This effectively replaced the railroad’s October-scheduled Pumpkin Patch Express that had involved guests disembarking at Conway to collect pumpkins and explore outdoor displays. The new offering has a variety of benefits, including…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey Conway Scenic Wins the Silver! This year Conway Scenic Railroad came in second place—the Silver Award— in the Family Attractions category for Conway Daily Sun’s Best of the Mount Washington Valley contest. A The Best of Mount Washington Valley awards Big Reveal ceremony was held on October 8th at the Black Mountain Main Lodge. Rolling Along with Autumn It’s been a great autumn season at Conway Scenic Railroad. Last year the operating department identified missed opportunities in the Autumn schedule, noting that between the end of September and Columbus Day many trains had completely sold out. To remedy this shortfall, this year the railroad added a lot more peak season trains, especially on the run to Crawford Notch. On most days from September 27th, the railroad had scheduled Mountaineer excursions to Crawford departing…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey Busy Labor Day The summer season typically reaches its crescendo on Labor Day weekend and this trend has held true this year. Both Mountaineer and Valley excursions were very well patronized this Labor Day weekend and the railroad entertained well over 2,000 guests over the busy three days. Immediately after Labor Day, the railroad entered its two-three week quiet period before the expected tsunami of autumn visitors. As the manager of marketing, I always find it a bit ironic that it is quiet during one of the nicest times to visit the railroad. Early September has wonderful weather, the trees are beginning to turn, and yet the Mount Washington Valley has relatively few visitors. A word to the wise: the first couple of weeks in September is a great time to visit Conway…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey Celebrating 150 years of railroad operations over Crawford Notch Conway Scenic Railroad’s Crawford 150th Anniversary Special on August 2, 2025 proved to be a huge success! The excursion included a ceremony at Fabyan, NH., where to recreate the spirit of Portland & Ogdensburg’s opening celebrations of August 7th, 1875, the 6th Maine Artillery Brigade Re-enactors performed several cacophonous cannon salutes and the Mt Washington Valley Community Band played patriotic songs. Conway Scenic’s Rob Owen was instrumental in organizing these events and provided historical narration on-board the train. This one-time excursion was well attended and participants had a wonderful time. The train was led by former Maine Central GP38 255, which ran around the excursion at Fabyan. Track Work and Work Extras During August 4th and 5th, a Work Authority was in place west…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey New Offerings and Summer Schedule As planned, Conway Scenic Railroad debuted its new Summer schedule on July 1, 2025. By running more excursions and making better use of its rail-assets, the railroad aimes to grow its business and carry more guests. Key to the new schedule is the operation of the Mountaineer twice a day with more days of operation. Not only does this give guests a greater choice of departures from North Conway (9am and 1:30pm, Tuesday-Thursday, plus weekends) but it also has opened up several completely new travel options. Conway Scenic’s Hiker’s Ticket allows for passengers to travel from North Conway to Crawford on the Morning Mountaineer and layover at Crawford for about 4 hours, before returning on the Afternoon Mountaineer that re-boards at Crawford Station at 3:15pm. Hikers traveling on…

By Brian Solomon Photos by Mike Lacey First 2025-season Shore Excursion Extra Since autumn 2023, Conway Scenic Railroad has been accommodating cruise ship shore excursionists. These guests are collected from Portland, Maine in motor coaches operated by Conway Scenic sister company VIP Tour and Charter Bus and brought to North Conway or Crawford to board trains for the journey through Crawford Notch. Shore excursionists organize their bus-train trip through the cruise provider, and these excursions typically include extras, such as a North Conway shopping trips. Depending on the nature of the shore excursion and the day and time of year of the individual cruise, shore excursionists have been accommodated either on regularly scheduled trains or extra moves specially scheduled for the shore excursion. On Friday May 30th, Conway Scenic operated the first shore excursion extra of the 2025 season. A…