August 2026 Wheel Report

By Brian Solomon
Photos by Mike Lacey

Summer Season

The railroad has been holding its own during the summer season. The schedule has been performing well, with five Valley Train departures and two Mountaineer departures five days a week, while the “shoulder schedule” features just four Valley trains on Mondays and Fridays. Under normal circumstances, Mondays and Fridays tend to be quieter than the other days. Operating fewer trains on these days allows the railroad to perform routine maintenance on equipment and track during the otherwise busy season. In this regard, during select Mondays and Fridays in July, the Valley was operated west on the Mountain Division to Glen to allow for trackwork on the Conway Branch.

More passengers have been taking advantage of the summer-season Crawford boarding option, which is offered through conwayscenic.com as “Crawford to North Conway and Return.” This option is made possible by running two scheduled Mountaineer trips between North Conway and Crawford Station, allowing passengers who would like to begin their journey at Crawford to join the train at 11 a.m. for the eastward trip through the Notch to North Conway and back again.

Gearing Up for Autumn

While summer is busy, it is just a taste of the heavy traffic expected during the autumn peak. To accommodate large numbers of retail passengers, along with frequent bus tour groups and cruise-ship shore excursionists, Conway Scenic is preparing to operate longer consists and an expanded schedule. On some of the busiest days, it will also run extra trains in the form of a third Mountaineer on the Crawford run, which will depart North Conway westbound at 11:30am.

Locomotive Report

Recent locomotive assignments include GP35 216, primarily working the Mountaineer, with GP38 252 occasionally substituted. Former Maine Central GP7 573 and 470 Club’s former Boston & Maine GP9 1741 have been regularly assigned to the Valley Train. Former Maine Central GP38 255 has been under repair and was expected to be returned to active service in mid-August. The heavier autumn Mountaineer consists, combined with the wet and slippery rail conditions common to autumn operations, have typically required two locomotives with dynamic brakes on the Crawford run during the busy season.

Uniform Improvement

Conway Scenic recently acquired new metal conductor badges for trainmen. These feature a classic design that contributes to the themed, mid-twentieth-century heritage appearance of the railroad’s excursions and train-service employee uniforms.