CORINTH, N.Y. — The Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its Corinth station.
The station, operational since May, is the departure point for the vintage train’s 90-minute scenic leisure cruise, located at 9 Railroad Place.
“I love that they’re bringing this back,” said Pete Bardunias, Senior Vice President of Membership and Community Advancement for the Capital Region Chamber. “I really believe this is something we shouldn’t lose. It’s a gem for our region and a symbol of connectivity. Even though it’s a tourism rail, it’s a mass transit asset.”
Corinth Station was first built in the 1890s, rebuilt around 1911, and torn down in 2007. Current owner and train conductor Hal Raven spent four years restoring and clearing the tracks and train cars, culminating with the completion of a station shed this past May. Now the station is fully operational again, and Raven is loving every minute of the weekend rides.
“I’ve worked for the railroads since I was 18, growing up in Queensbury,” Raven explained. “I’ve always loved trains. This line sat unused, and we wanted to see it up and running again so that future generations can enjoy the railroads and appreciate the history of the line.”
Raven, who had help from his whole family working nights and weekends to get the train and tracks ready to ride, is looking forward to expanding special events on the train and the length of the ride. Currently, the train runs to Porter Corners and stops, then reverses and returns to the station. Raven has plans to finish restoring the crossing signals between Porter Corners and Greenfield, and to eventually go as far as Saratoga Springs.
In the meantime, there are plenty of rides to take and special events to attend.
Raven said every train ride since the station’s grand opening has been completely sold out. He just started adding special, kid-friendly events to the schedule, the Pizza Express and the Sunday Funday Sundae Train. Both rides feature fare from local small businesses. Other events on the horizon include sunset rides, opportunities for private parties, and summer camp and school trips.
And that’s just during the summer. Raven has plans for fall foliage rides, Christmas rides, and more. He’s looking forward to networking with more local businesses and coordinating special events.
“We picked Corinth because we’re 20 minutes from everything,” Raven explained. “We’ve had people come from all over, and it’s great to see how far some of them are traveling. Running the train on an early schedule lets you still have time in your day to do stuff – hit the restaurants, do some shopping, whatever you want.”
At Corinth Station’s ribbon cutting, Raven and his family were welcomed to the community by the Capital Region Chamber, the Saratoga County Chamber, and many members of the community. A representative for state Sen. Daphne Jordan presented Raven with a citation, and a representative for state Sen. Jim Tedisco gave Raven the Empire Award, the state senate’s highest recognition for small businesses.
Raven thanked everyone for their support and thanked his family for all the hard work that had been put into making the train station a reality. Then, he said the only thing there was left to say: “All aboard!”
A ride on the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway is not your typical train ride.
For starters, you’re in vintage cars from as early as 1916 that Raven and his family restored themselves. The steam engine was built in 1947 in Schenectady, and special ticket holders can ride alongside the engineer. The first-class and coach cars are air-conditioned for a comfortable ride, though the best seat in the house — as long as the weather is nice — is hands-down the open-air car.
Seating up to 40 passengers, the car offers views of the ride that you won’t get anywhere else.
The trip takes its passengers through the woods and swamps of Corinth, and the friendly train staff is happy to chat and offer up geographical trivia and historical anecdotes — such as the story about how Theodore Roosevelt had to take that train to rush from the Adirondacks to Buffalo to be sworn in as the next president. The conductors will punch children’s tickets — which are printed on cardstock with a vintage design — with the first letter of their names.
The train moves slowly enough that you can take good-quality pictures without the scenery coming out blurry. Overall, it’s a fun experience unlike any other in the Capital Region.
For more information about the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway, including to book tickets for upcoming weekend rides, visit www.corinthtrain.com.
