Motorcar Excursion on the Adirondack Railroad | Oct. 1-2, 2022 | NARCOA | NEREX | Railcar | Speeder

Any day is a good day to ride the rails of the historical Adirondack Railroad!

In 1892, Dr. William Seward Webb had built the Mohawk and Malone Railway through the Adirondack region in northern New York. Within 18 months, Dr. Webb had completed the rail line from Herkimer to Malone. He later extended the rail into Canada.
We are so thankful that we got the opportunity to run our motorcar on a portion of the historical railroad. We began at the Remsen Depot and travelled north up to our turnaround point at Tupper Lake Junction. The video highlights many of the stations we passed along the way.

Endless thanks to:
Railroad usage and organization of the excursion:
Adirondack Railroad
Mohawk, Adirondack and Northern Railroad
NARCOA
NEREX

For the vintage photos, maps and schematics, these organizations have my endless gratitude and appreciation for being keepers of our rich railroad history. Most all photographs are circa 1900-1920.

Museum on Blue Mountain Lake - Museum in the Adirondacks

The Woodgate Free Library

Library of Congress

New York Heritage

Utley-Williams Collection
Myers Collection
Fallon Collection
Harter Collection
Denio Collection
Tim Mayers Postcard Collection

Mac-A-Mac photos at Brandreth Station: Goff-Nelson Memorial Library, Tupper Lake Public Library

Additional video footage used with permission:

Railroading Rambler

16grrr whipple

Recommended reading:

Recommended books:
Fairy Tale Railroad by Henry A. Harter
Tupper Lake by Jon Kopp

Music credits:

All other music licensed:

Map Credits:
Google Maps
Apple Maps
Microsoft Maps

Other Adirondack videos to enjoy:

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:15 History of the Mohawk and Malone Railway
00:57 Remsen Depot
03:26 Forestport Station
05:12 Woodgate Station
06:52 McKeever Station
09:06 Thendara Station (Fulton Chain)
11:52 Carter Station
13:22 Entire consist (high angle)
15:52 Big Moose (station converted into a restaurant)
18:59 Entire consist (eye level view)
21:22 Beaver River Station
23:12 Brandreth Station
25:09 Nehasane Station
27:39 Sabattis Station
29:14 Horseshoe Lake
31:16 Piercefield Flow
31:43 Raquette Pond
32:07 Tupper Lake Junction
33:41 Excursion Details
33:46 Photo Montage
35:19 Dedication to our friend and mentor Scott Fuller

Thanks for watching!

[donluthringer]

The best presentation ever on railcars.I am 93 and wish I could go on a trip. Keep up the good work and lets see more good events.I salute you from Sacramento, Calif. 5-17-2023.

[kevinkinney]

Hmmm,
I was born in Tupper Lake, 1960. We moved to Los Angeles in 1965 and I've never been back home. It was on my bucket list...
But, I doubt I'll ever get back to pay respect to my Dad at his grave. Last time I saw him was when Mom left him in 1965. Oh well, rest in peace Dad, I'll see ya on the other side.

[J.M.Chadwick]

Beautifully done! I especially liked the attention given to all of the former stations on the route. The old pictures and narrative were superb!

[GroggRhine]

YouTube suggested this video, I like a bit of trains, I clicked in, and wow, what a ride! Production levels are great, and the history lessons with video editing/graphics was a real treat. Thanks for the spin.

[barrysims]

Thank you for the perfect seat. Id love to do this. But you know how disabillitys can be. Thats why I watch these videos. They get me places I can never go.

[moparedtn]

What a wonderfully produced and presented video! Chock full of reference information -
and the view! My Lord....
Thank you for sharing this with the world (and rekindling my interest in those little "rail
speeders", too 🙂).
- Ed on the Ridge

[BarredCoast]

If it weren't for your videos I'd never be able to see such beauty. The scenery was gorgeous! I'll be 70 next week and since I'm handicapped all I ever do nowadays is armchair travel but that's okay because with people like you it's worth it! Thanks for taking me along. The trip was wondrous! 🚂🚋🚋🚋

[rowanmulvey]

I was born and raised in the Adirondacks and had not seen some of thes places. Thank you!

[JohnMarcotte-ul]

I had the privilege of being on this trip and I'm amazed at how much I learned from this video. Excellent production Angela, I'll be reviewing this before our next rip over this line.

[dlewis]

That is an amazing documentary. Well done with attention to detail. The highlights, the music, the timing. The viewer is able to immerse themselves into the experience. Very interesting historical kept my interest. Great trip see all the side shots as well, crossing roads, safety meetings, doodle bugs being prepared. I liked the little dust on the b&w images as well. Thanks for the hard work.
Doug L.

[dondavis]

What a wonderful -- and colorful! -- trip through history! I felt like the world's luckiest time traveler, getting to go back and forth between now and "the Land of Ago, " as Stephen King calls the past in his book '11/22/63.' Thanks so much for sharing this amazing video with all of us! I loved it!

[JohnSmith-yveq]

Great fun and nice to see no breakdowns occurred on the journey...
In New Zealand the motorised 4 man track inspection and worker transports are called "Jiggers" because they have no cabin structure, are hard riding ...and you are "jiggered" after a long journey on them....
I lived near a railway that used these until the branch lines were torn up....
the one I lived near suffered that fate in in 1967....
a short sighted move that still haunts railway enthusiasts and tourist operators to this day...

[patriciakalisak]

Thank you for this breathtaking ride. Loved the history and the historical pictures of the then and now.

[JSSIX]

That was stunning ! Thanks for taking us along.

[NorthCountryTrains]

Absolutely wonderful production, great editing, graphics, and history!

[currentfaves]

14:55 That portable restroom is the ultimate caboose !!! Very cool trip, thanks for sharing !

[terryekwell]

35:45 really nice to see these old stations and the "world" around them !

[MichaelJones-ngzq]

I have never seen (and I have reviewed many) a video that more appropriately highlighted the very scenic nature of the Adirondack Railroad (previously the Adirondack Division of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad) since it was recently restored to Tupper Lake NY. in 2022 by New York State. Not only was the scenery superbly documented, but the editing, maps, and narration were first class all the way. One truly feels that one was actually sitting in one of the track cars enjoying the trip. Thank you so much for this presentation. Question: How much exposed footage was not used in making this presentation, and could that be presented in another video, as you have documented the line beautifully.

[daybird]

No words can express my thanks for posting this video. My grandfather was an air brake inspector for the Boston and Maine R.R. his whole life, so I've loved trains since I was very small. This is something I've always wanted to do, but now at 72 years old I'll settle for these wonderful videos and ride along in spirit. Many thanks.

[chiconian]

I've got to say, "this was fun to watch." Thanks.