Adirondack Railroad Assistant Conductor Lynn Willey directs a train into the Tupper Lake Junction on Sunday — the first public train to travel to the Tri-Lakes since 1981.
(Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)
TUPPER LAKE — Hundreds of passengers flooded out of an Adirondack Scenic Railroad locomotive at the Tupper Lake Junction on Sunday, smiles spread across many of their faces. The air was cool and filled with enthusiasm and chatter about their journey to the Tri-Lakes from Utica.
While this wasn’t the locomotive’s first trip to Tupper Lake this season — a train rolled into Tupper Lake last month to much fanfare — it’s the first public revenue train in around 40 years. It’s been just over 130 years since the first passenger train, operated by the Mohawk and Malone Railroad, arrived in Tupper Lake in 1892, according to the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society.
Passengers on Sunday rode the train from Utica to Tupper Lake and back. The round-trip travel time was around nine hours, and passengers stopped at the Tupper Lake Junction for about an hour and a half to check out local sights and mill around Sunday’s “Junction Function” event, where there was live music, a pop-up art show featuring works from the recent Tupper Lake Plein Air Festival and a beer tasting with Racquette River Brewing, among other activities. Adirondack Mac, the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games mascot, was welcoming passengers as they stepped off the train.
Tickets for Sunday’s trip were “basically” sold out, according to the railroad’s crew — Adirondack Railroad Volunteer Coordinator Ashley LaForce said that more than 200 people took the train, and only a few seats were vacant. Tickets for adults ranged from $150 to $260, with options for coach, first class and upper or lower-level “diamond class” tickets.
During the train’s stop in Tupper Lake on Sunday, Art and Jean Gleasman, of Forestport, were relaxing alone in the train’s upper lounge area as hundreds of people buzzed with excitement outside. The lounge car’s dome-shaped glass walls let in the amber, yellow and rouge hues adorning the trees outside. The Gleasmans said their trip from Utica to Tupper Lake was filled with similar scenic autumn views.
Jean and Art Gleason enjoy some peace and quiet in the upper-level lounge area of an Adirondack Scenic Railroad car during the train’s stop in Tupper Lake on Sunday.
(Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)
“It’s nice,” Jean said of the ride. “I did it, I’m glad, and I think a lot more people will.”
The rails are now shut down for the season to allow snowmobilers to ride the tracks on the snow. After the snow melts, work will begin to reconstruct the Tupper Lake depot area with a new platform, new tracks, a train turn-around and expanded parking, ARPS President Frank Kobliski said in September.
He also said ARPS has a loan with the Franklin County Industrial Development Agency to replicate a historic ticket office in the Next Stop Tupper Lake building, complete with period memorabilia. Rail service will resume next season.
Many of the train’s crew on Sunday, including Conductor Bill Moll, Assistant Conductor Lynn Willey, an engineer and car hosts, are retired — Willey said he and Moll worked with CSX Conrail for around 40 years, and Green worked in law enforcement for around 35 years. Engineer Mike Waterman retired from AMTRACK.
They all work with Adirondack Scenic Railroad because they love trains.
Willey said he works with the railroad once a week — just enough to stay in the field.
“I always liked railroads,” he said. “And when I retired, I still wanted to keep my hand involved.”
“I’m thrilled to do this,” Car Host Jim Green said. “This is wonderful.”