By Railfan & Railroad Staff

The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum will kick off its 40th year this weekend, July 27 and 28, with a celebration at its Lenox, Mass., station, including exclusive tours of the famed Roger Williams experimental high-speed train. 

The New York, New Haven & Hartford train has three Budd RDCs with streamlined ends. The train is owned by the non-profit Budd RDC Foundation and it is being leased to the Berkshire Scenic. Last weekend, it made a trip to Canaan, Conn., on the Housatonic Railroad for Canaan Railroad Day.

Introduced in 1956, the train used existing RDC propulsion technology, and could also draw power off third-rail for operation into Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The train continued to operate into the Amtrak era until the surviving cars were sold into private ownership in the mid-1980s. The train ran for the first time under its own power in more than 30 years earlier this year.

Tours of the special train will be available to the public during the 40th anniversary celebration. Tickets are $40 a person. Space is limited and reservations are encouraged. 

The Berkshire Scenic was founded in 1984 and has grown to comprise of multiple sites in western Massachusetts, including stations at Lenox and Stockbridge, as well as yards at Lenox and North Adams. The museum also offers excursions through the Hoosac Valley between North Adams and Adams. For more information about the museum and this weekend’s event, visit berkshiretrains.org.