By Railfan & Railroad Staff

United Railroad Historical Society of NJ’s Hudson River Rail Excursions will be back in 2024 with an ambitious schedule featuring more than 50 trips between New York City and Albany and six exclusive overnight experiences between New York City and Chicago, reminiscent of the original 20th Century Limited.  

URHS began running the excursions back in 2021 and they have become very popular. In fact, in 2021, the first round of tickets sold out in an improbable 60 seconds, forcing URHS to add more dates. The excursions, which are run on the rear of a regular Amtrak train from New York City to Albany-Rensselaer, feature New York Central tavern-lounge 43 and observation-sleeper-lounge car Hickory Creek.

“Being a non-profit, our goal is to share the golden age of railroading with as many people as possible,” said URHS Executive Director Kevin Phalon. “We are thrilled and grateful that folks keep lining up to ride our historic train cars.” 

Ticket prices range from $179 to $399. All tickets are first class and are all-inclusive. Daytrip excursions depart New York City at 11:20 a.m. and return to New York City at 7:05 p.m. with an approximately two-hour layover in Albany. 

New this year is a partnership with the National Park Service’s Trails & Rails program. On select dates in May, October and November, the ride will include a narrated tour of the Hudson River Valley from Park Service-trained guides. Also new will be the Hudson River Rail Excursions’s 20th Century Limited Experience. Passengers on these trips will relive the golden age of rail travel by riding, dining, and sleeping aboard historic Pullman Sleeping Cars, as they travel from New York to Chicago, the same route as the 20th Century. 

More information is available at URHS’s excursions website: HudsonRiverRail.com. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on March 15.