The Finger Lakes Rail Experience, which started earlier this year on the Finger Lakes Railway, is extending its season into fall with a series of trips from Waterloo, N.Y. The 90-minute rides are scheduled to run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting September 19 and ending October 19 (excluding the first weekend of October). 

“This special excursion celebrates everything there is to love about fall in the Finger Lakes,” said Chris Homco, General Manager of the Finger Lakes Rail Experience. “It’s a relaxing, nostalgic journey perfect for couples, families, and groups looking to make new memories.”

The excursion features five vintage passenger cars provided by URHS, some of which became available when Amtrak cancelled charters out of New York Penn Station earlier this year due to an extensive tunnel repair project affecting the schedule. The cars include observation-lounge Hickory Creek (Pullman, 1948, the tail car from New York Central’s famed 20th Century Limited), tavern-lounge NYC 43 (Budd, 1947), and NYC sleeper-buffet-lounge Swift Stream (Budd, 1949). To support this expanded service schedule, URHS also refurbished tavern-lounge NYC 37 (Budd, 1947) and Pennsylvania Railroad coach 1547 (Budd, 1949, ex-PRR sleeper Cambridge Inn). The trains are led by Finger Lakes locomotives (usually one of the road’s B23-7s). 

Tickets are on sale now. For detailed schedules and reservation information, please visit the FLX Rail Experience website.

—Railfan & Railroad Staff