By Justin Franz
The Conway Scenic Railroad’s North Conway station, headquarters for the nearly 50-year-old tourist railroad, is more than an hour inland from the coast. But that isn’t stopping the New Hampshire operation from trying to attract cruise ship passengers docked in Portland, Maine, from riding.
This year, the railroad began catering specifically to cruise ship passengers by offering a bus ride to and from the excursion. And Manager of Marketing and Events Brian Solomon said the railroad hopes to expand that service even further in 2024.
“Our owner Dave Swirk believes this could be the future of the railroad,” Solomon said, citing the success seen at other operations that cater to cruise ship passengers, like Alaska’s White Pass & Yukon.
One key difference, however, is that the WP&Y tracks run right to the dock where cruise ships are parked, whereas the North Conway station is more than 60 miles away from the water. But the Conway Scenic isn’t letting that distance stop them. The railroad recently acquired tour buses to pick up passengers dockside and take them to North Conway. There they can board a train for the ride up to Crawford Notch on the iconic Mountain Division. At Crawford Notch, the buses will be waiting for them to take them back to the boat in time to set sail, with a stop in North Conway for some shopping along the way.
This year, the railroad was able to add the cruise ship passengers (aboard first class cars) to the regular “Mountaineer” excursion between North Conway and Crawford Notch. But if they’re successful, he could envision them having to run a second section of the train just for the boat passengers. The railroad is so confident that this will work that they’re also acquiring additional equipment, including three former Canadian National cars from Age of Steam in Ohio. The cars are similar to one Conway Scenic already has and Solomon said the railroad hopes to have it in service next spring.
The Conway Scenic offers excursions on the former MEC Mountain Division and the former Boston & Maine Conway Branch. It was first established in 1974.
