The railroad's main terminal is located in historic downtown North Conway in the Mount Washington valley. The station complex has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.

History

Conway Scenic Railroad was founded by local businessmen Bill Levy and Carroll Reed and a Boston and Maine Railroader named Dwight Smith. They purchased the abandoned station and rail line from Conway to Intervale 7 miles) from the Boston and Maine in 1974. Smith bought Canadian National 7470 and the first train was run on August 4, 1974.

In 1983, the Mountain Division was abandoned, and for twelve years Conway Scenic was insulated without a connection to the wider United States rail network. In 1994, they obtained from the state a lease of the Mountain Division. On December 17, 1994, the first revenue train made it as far as Bartlett, and operations through the scenic Crawford Notch began in September 1995. The first train ran to Fabyans in 1996.

The original owners were bought out by husband and wife Russ and Dot Seybold in 1999.

Operations

The Dorthea Mae dome car

The railroad operates excursions of varying duration under two banners - the "Valley Train" which runs either south to Conway (55-minute round trip) or north to Bartlett (1¾-hour round trip), and the "Notch Train" covering the line through Crawford Notch. The Valley Train excursions include the dining car Chocorua, the 1898 open-deck Pullman observation car Gertrude Emma, an open-air car, and several restored heavyweight coaches, some dating back to the 1920s. The Notch Train service is typically a 5-hour round trip to Crawford Depot (located at the height of land in Crawford Notch), but is extended to 5½ hours during the fall foliage season when the train travels all the way to Fabyan Station, located near Bretton Woods in the town of Carroll. The Notch Train includes an open-air car (Silver Cascade #1308), a vista dome car (Dorthea Mae), a first-class car (Carroll P. Reed), and commuter coaches retired from the Montreal commuter pool. In 2010, a restored dining car built as N&W Powhatan Arrow 492 in 1950, and now named Hattie Evans, was added to the train. Annual special events at the railroad include Day out with Thomas, a railfan day on the first Saturday of September, Polar Express-themed trips during December, and a "Steam in the Snow" (or "Covered Wagon in the Snow" when the steam locomotive is not available) photographer's special in early January sponsored by the Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts.

Special freight operation