UTICA — This year, for my birthday, I rode the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. It was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to ride a train since I was kid, even though I’m surrounded by trains every day. The Business Journal News Network’s office is located in the former OnTrack station in Armory Square in downtown Syracuse, and the same rail line runs behind my house in Jamesville.

On a fall morning in September, my friend, Jill, and I ventured out to Utica’s Union Station for the Fall Foliage Train excursion that goes from Utica to Thendara with a four-hour layover in Old Forge. A round-trip ticket for this excursion costs $37.50 per adult, but Jill and I scored a Groupon deal for $36 for two round-trip tickets.

When we arrived at the station at 9 a.m., volunteers were already herding the 400 passengers onto the train. As I’m settling into a window seat in car 3211, a volunteer named Mike walks through the car to collect tickets from the passengers. A lady across the aisle from us asks him when we’ll be off. 

“All I can tell you is when it starts to roll, that’s when we’re going,” says Mike. 

Shortly after that, we were rolling. Once we were moving, the volunteer car hosts encouraged the passengers to explore the train. This adventure was short-lived for me, because as soon as I stood up, motion sickness kicked in. 

The ride was not a total loss though. While sipping a Ginger Ale that Jill graciously bought for me, I watched the scenery go by. With the “Mileposts and Points of Interest” guide that came with our tickets, I was able to spot the Erie Canal, Otter Lake, and more. Not to mention the endless number of deer I saw hanging out in people’s yards like they were waiting for their daily treats.

Two hours later, we arrived at the Thendara station, which is about a mile south of Old Forge. As we departed the train to catch the shuttle to Old Forge, the car hosts instructed us to return by 4 p.m. so that we could make the departure time of 4:45. 

Ride the line
The Adirondack Scenic Railroad is part of the historic rail corridor that was constructed in 1892 and the first to go through the Adirondack region. While operated by the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society (ARPS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, New York State owns the 118-mile, Remsen-Lake Placid rail corridor, and the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Transportation jointly administer it. 

ARPS performs maintenance work on the corridor and leases the track from April to December for train-ride excursions. From January to April, the NYS Snowmobile Association leases the corridor.

The rail corridor started to decline in the 1950s and 60s, but was briefly restored for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. After that, it laid dormant for more than a decade until a band of rail enthusiasts came together in 1992 and proposed operating a short rail line. Now 22 years later, 68 miles of the 118-mile track have been restored, and the Adirondack Scenic Railroad carries more than 70,000 passengers annually.

“We’re the largest tourist attraction in the county [of Oneida] after the casino,” says Bethan Mahar, executive director of ARPS.

Only about 5 percent to 8 percent of visitors come from within Oneida County. Last year, passengers traveled from 49 states and six countries to ride the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. Ridership has increased 35 percent in the past five years, says Mahar.

The railroad partners with local businesses and brings visitors to these otherwise remote areas along the corridor. The train is “very significant to the local businesses who see an influx of people spending money,” says Mahar. 

ARPS starts running occasional trains in April, and then in July begins operating five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday. From August to December, the trips generally run at full capacity, carrying a max of 420 passengers, largely due to the themed excursions during those months, such as the Fall Foliage, Family Halloween Train, and the ever-popular Polar Express.

ARPS owns five locomotives and leases three locomotives. It also owns 23 passenger cars, two of which will be repaired during the upcoming slow season, the first quarter of next year. Each repaired car will add 120 seats.

All the trips are staffed by volunteers who assume the roles of car hosts, “trainmen,” conductors, engineers, and café and gift shop workers. Volunteers donate 15,000 to 20,000 hours of service each year, says Mahar, who steps into the role of “trainman” occasionally.

Mahar came on board three-and-a-half years ago as the Utica station manager. A year in, she became the executive director of ARPS. “It’s been a fun ride,” says Mahar.

Hailing from Sherrill, Mahar received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from SUNY Geneseo, with a concentration in archeology and historic preservation. She also took a few master’s level courses from a Mexican university in Yucatan while working on a sustainable-tourism project.

ARPS operates from the second floor of the Bagg’s Square Café at 421 Broad St. in Utica, about two blocks from the train station. It has nine full-time employees, including mechanics and the Utica station manager. Since the Thendara, Lake Placid, and Saranac Lake stations don’t operate during the winter months, those managers are included in the 15 part-time employee count. Mahar says the railroad hires more part-time help during Polar Express season.

ARPS generates $1.3 million of its $2 million budget from ticket sales. The rest of the revenue comes from donations, memberships, and repair work the nonprofit does for others.

By the end of this year, Mahar says the nonprofit’s bank debt and payables will be paid, making it almost debt free. “We will still have one small loan from a board member, but in a nutshell, yes [we’ll be debt-free],” says Mahar.

Rails vs. Trails
The Adirondack Scenic Railroad operates between Utica and Big Moose, and from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid. The plan is to restore the rest of the rail so the railroad can offer trips from Utica to Lake Placid. But what to do with the remaining out-of-service rail between Big Moose and Saranac Lake sparks debate.

Some people believe that restoring the line will boost tourism; other groups believe the entire 118 miles of rail should be torn up and replaced with trails. 

The rail corridor, which is on the National and State Historic Registers, was built before much of the Adirondacks had been declared “Forever Wild,” meaning it can’t be developed anymore. Mahar says that the train is the only thing that goes through some of those inaccessible areas now. The railroad also has a $5.5 million economic impact on the area and connects communities in and out of the travel corridor.

ARPS supports a rail-and-trail system, with trails running alongside the rail corridor. In the areas where that isn’t feasible, she says the plan would be to create other paths that would join with the corridor. “Our volunteers have already mapped out existing trails from Tupper Lake to Saranac Lake,” says Mahar.

In July, the state DEC and DOT announced that they would allow restoration of the rail corridor from Big Moose to Tupper Lake. Mahar says ARPS will be facilitating and overseeing the restoration work, although no formal dates or a financial commitment have been made, as of press time.

More public hearings will be scheduled to determine the best use of the line from Tupper Lake to Lake Placid.

In the meantime, Mahar says ARPS will continue to “fight the battle to preserve the corridor and keep it functioning.”

All aboard
At 4:30 p.m., we’re loaded onto the train in Thendara for the return trip. Lois, a car host, walks down the aisle of the car, hushes the group, and then asks, “Is everyone on this train going to Utica, New York?” Pause. “If you’re not, then you are now. Unless you let us know right now.” Silence. Looks like we we’re all going to Utica.       

Contact Collins at ncollins@tmvbj.com

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Adirondack Railway Preservation Society (ARPS) 
421 Board St., Suite 7
Utica, NY 13501
Phone: (800) 819-2291 
adirondackrr.com

Key Staff
Executive DirectorBethan Mahar
Executive Director’s pay from 2012 IRS Form 990$37,151

Board of directors (Officers)
President
Bill Branson, retired executive, RBS Wealth Management, A.G. Edwards & Sons 

Vice President
Al Heywood, retired teacher, Heywood’s Greenhouses, Remsen Development Corp.

Treasurer
Michele Devendorf, retired executive, Sears-Roebuck

Secretary
David Link, Bluebar Oil, CSX, MA&N, Oswego Midland

Executive Committee Member
Wayne Tucker, retired executive, Kimberly Computers 

Board of Directors
Bill Branson, retired executive, RBS Wealth Management, A.G. Edwards & Sons
Michele Devendorf, retired executive, Sears-Roebuck
Allen Dunham, North Country REDC, Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA)
Jim Ellis, retired high school principal, ANCA
Gene Falvo, Falvo Manufacturing, Oneida County Tourism, Mohawk Valley REDC
Al Gorney, private consulting
Al Heywood, retired teacher, Heywood’s Greenhouses, Remsen Development Corp.
Ed Kennedy, retired executive, IBM
Frank Kobliski, executive director CENTRO
David Link, Bluebar Oil, CSX, MA&N, Oswego Midland
Dan Mecklenburg, Trails and Rails Action Committee
Paul Miles, engineer, CSX
Garry Savage, retired, NYS&W RR
Sandra Strader, retired Tupper Lake mayor, the Wild Center
David Tomberlin, Well Dressed Foods, ANCA
Wayne Tucker, retired executive, Kimberly Computers
Paul Yonge, retired NYS employee

Mission
Preservation of the Adirondack railway. The organization’s purpose is promoting, participating in, and contributing to the rehabilitation, maintenance, and operation of the Adirondack Travel Corridor.

Programs & Services
Train-ride excursions, track rehabilitation and restoration, educational programs with school groups, group charters for assisted-living facilities and passengers with special needs, programs for disabled vets, track restoration and rehabilitation, vegetation management and a variety of special events ranging from holiday excursions (Easter Bunny Express, Family Halloween Trains, The Polar Express) to history trains, shopping trains, and wine and beer tasting trains.

Recent Organizational Highlights
2014 recipient of the Adirondack Architectural Heritage Awards for its rail-corridor restoration from Remsen to Lake Placid, and the Thendara Station.

Financial Data
Revenue Sources
Contributions & Grants: $1,250,207
Program Services: $1,012,885
Investment Income: 0
Other: $29,609
Total Revenue: $2,292,701

Expenditures
Salaries & Employee Benefits: $397,532
Other: $1,976,739
Total Expenses:  $2,374,271

Deficit for the Year:  -$81,570