September 2026 Wheel Report
By Brian Solomon
photos by Mike Lacey
Peaks and Valleys
Every year, the railroad experiences late-summer peaks and valleys in terms of ridership. This year has been slightly different. The summer season crescendo followed a brief quiet period at the end of August, with a later-than-normal Labor Day weekend proving to be the busiest of 2026 so far.
While Saturday and Sunday were much busier than expected, Labor Day Monday was relatively quiet. This was scheduled as a “switching day,” which is necessary to prepare the consists for autumn. Initially, the railroad had planned to operate a limited Valley schedule using RDC Millie, but to accommodate relatively high numbers pre-booked passengers plus walk-up business required operation of a two-car Valley Train hauled by 470 Club’s former Boston & Maine GP9 1741. Former Lackawanna suburban-service open-window coach 3202 Hurricane Mountain and coach/snack bar car 1133 Mount Washington made for a classic branchline passenger train, and a rare sight on the Valley, which normally warrants five or six cars during the summer.
The weeks after Labor Day represent a ridership trough. This can be one of the best times to ride Conway Scenic excursions, yet, seemingly out of habit, many visitors are absent. Despite the lovely weather as the season makes its transition to autumn, the railroad is typically relatively quiet.
This year, as in most previous years, the Valley Train has been sleepy. Yet, in anticipation of higher-than-normal demand for the Mountaineer, Conway Scenic has retained its five-day-per-week, two-trains-a-day Mountaineer schedule. through the quiet period. This was done in part to accommodate robust cruise-ship shore-excursion traffic and a growing number of early-autumn bus tours, in addition to surprising numbers of walk-up visitors looking to travel the line over Crawford Notch.
Work Trains
The normally slow late-summer lull is a good time to make repairs and conduct routine track maintenance. As a result, the railroad has been operating work extras over the length of the railroad.
On August 28, GP35 No. 216 worked a heavy ballast extra on the Mountain Division. This operated all the way to Quebec Junction near the western extremity of the railroad’s line. The train dumped stone on the main and siding at Crawford and on the east and west legs of the wye at Quebec Junction, among other places.
The railroad has been shoring up the wye, which will make it possible to turn maintenance-of-way equipment and locomotives at the far end of the railroad.
On Friday, September 11, a work train operated with GP38 255 and a caboose. This collected five ballast cars and a flatcar at Fabyan. It worked dumping ballast at Fabyan, and at Bartlett on its return run toward North Conway.
This was operated as part of the work to restore the long siding at Fabyan—a disused 40-car passing siding dating from Maine Central days, located west of the station and east of Cherry Mountain Road. This siding is distinct from the old number 4 track used to run around the train at Fabyan Station.
Lots of Trains Planned for Autumn
The autumn schedule change on September 22 will see five scheduled Valley Train runs each day, seven days a week, plus two daily Mountaineer trains running to Crawford during the peak foliage season. In addition, a few midday Crawford extras are planned to accommodate bus-tour groups.
Despite all the extra runs, as of this writing, most of the observation-dome (Budd Vista Dome) seats during the busiest peak period have already been sold.
This peak period always pushes the railroad to the limits of its capacity and endurance in an effort to accommodate the high tide of leaf peepers who love to visit northern New England in autumn.