By Railfan & Railroad Staff
The United Railroad Historical Society of NJ celebrated the 100th trip of its wildly successful Hudson River Rail Excursions on Saturday.
Since the program’s inception in 2021, private cars Hickory Creek and New York Central 43 have run more than 50,000 miles collectively, carried more than 5,000 passengers on Amtrak, and have become the busiest Amtrak-certified private cars in America. The excursions run on the rear of regularly scheduled Amtrak trains between New York City and Albany, the same route the two cars ran on decades ago.
“These trips have been life-changing for our organization,” said URHS Executive Director Kevin Phalon. “We are endlessly grateful for the countless people who make these trains possible: passengers, staff, volunteers, contractors, and Amtrak employees.”
Hudson River Rail Excursions was established in October 2021. What began simply as four volunteer-led weekend trips, quickly blossomed into more than 50 per year. In 2022, URHS hired its first full-time employee to help manage the trips. Today, the program amounts to what is essentially a medium-sized tourist railroad—run entirely on Amtrak. It is wholly unique in railroad preservation.
As a result of Hudson River Rail Excursions, URHS has grown substantially in the last two years. The organization has invested more than $200,000 in improvements to the Hickory Creek and NYC 43, as well as the Boonton Yard Restoration Shop that supports them. The program has also been able to fund other restoration projects, facility improvements, and equipment acquisitions.
“It is difficult to understate the paradigm shift URHS has experienced over the last few years,” said Phalon. “Not only are these two cars getting the love, care, and attention they deserve, but the entirety of URHS and its collection have benefitted from the success of these trips. URHS’s goal remains building a permanent railroad museum in the New Jersey/New York metro area, and Hudson River Rail Excursions is proof positive that we can make that dream a reality.”
While many trips for 2024 are already sold out, tickets are still available for Memorial Day Weekend and in October. Details can be found online.
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