April 2026 Wheel Report

This season 192 new bridge ties were installed by the Track Department on the former Boston & Maine Saco River bridge. Photo by Matt Hopps
The annual Easter Bunny Express was seen at the North Conway Station. This featured a cast of actors playing Spring characters to entertain passengers. Photo by Mike Lacey

By Brian Solomon
Photos by Matt Hopps and Mike Lacey

April Excursions

On the weekend of April 4–5, Conway Scenic launched its Spring 2026 season with its annual Easter Bunny Express. As scheduled, the railroad operated four North Conway–Conway trains on each day. These featured onboard entertainment, with actors portraying a variety of springtime characters—including the Easter Bunny—aimed at delighting young travelers.

Although April is one of the quieter months in terms of visitors, the railroad has weekend Valley Train excursions scheduled throughout the month and into May. As of mid-month, the railcars assigned to the Valley Train consist, from west to east, are: CP Reed, Budd Vista Dome Dorothea Mae, Mount Bemis, Hurricane Mountain, and Mount Washington. During this period, the consist will be adjusted as passenger cars are cycled through the shop for routine maintenance and necessary repairs. As of this writing, Budd Vista Dome Rhonda Lee is in the shop and expected to return to service shortly.

Spring Cleaning
To make productive use of midweek downtime, the railroad has embarked on a variety of infrastructure and equipment improvements. In March, Conway Scenic crews replaced ties and decking on the North Conway turntable. This is one step in a broader project to improve the turntable and make it more useful for day-to-day operations.

In early April, the Track Department made significant repairs to the Conway Branch’s Saco River Bridge. This bridge dates to 1949, when it was built to replace a 19th-century covered bridge. Most of the ties on the current bridge dated from that earlier work, and 192 new ties were installed to replace them.

Additional work in North Conway has included tidying up the yard and station grounds. During April, the railroad has operated several work extras to support track work along the Mountain Division. On April 10, a work extra with GP7 No. 573 on the west end and GP35 No. 216 on the east end operated to Bartlett to switch equipment, before returning east to Woodland Pines to assist with lineside tree and brush removal. GP9 No. 1751 operated a work extra west on April 13 to assist with tree and brush removal between Crawford station and Fabyan. The same locomotive also worked a ballast extra on April 16th, dumping stone at various locations between Glen and Sawyer River.

Maine Central 252
Former Maine Central GP38 No. 252 will turn 60 years old later this year. This locomotive has a long history on the Mountain Division. It was delivered new to the Maine Central at St. Johnsbury in November 1966 and spent many years handling freight on this route and elsewhere on the system.The locomotive remains largely in as-built condition. Recently, the Mechanical Department has undertaken a variety of necessary repairs to ensure its continued operation at Conway Scenic.

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