Conway Scenic Railroad

Being a Massachusetts native, I visited this location many times as a child growing up. I have a deep fondness for the Conway Scenic Railroad, and the great presentation they deliver to all that visit their location. This railway is definitely a location that you can visit over and over again. They have such a variety of trips, from eating a five-course gourmet meal on their dinner train, climbing over one-thousand feet over Crawford Notch, to taking a lazy trip behind their steam engines through the valleys. The other, and probably most impressive thing that I like about this railway, is the fact that the original buildings have been saved and preserved. So when you visit their site, you get to walk into the original depot that by far is the most historic and recognizable structure in North Conway. The original turntable is still active and is usually the big draw when folks arrive early, before they take their trip. Here they get to see the daily prepping of the steam and diesel engines that they use. The one thing that stands out the most to me, at this railway, is the energy that is present when you visit it. Everybody has a smile on their face and is thoroughly enjoying this historic location and the trips they offer. You will see that it is quite evident in the video clips you can watch on this page.

From the staff standpoint, everyone there does a great job presenting the trips, the history, and the passion they have for preserving this railroad's deep transportation roots. From an operational standpoint, for the amount of trains they run and activities they do, it is by far one of the smoothest running locations I've ever been to. The staff were very gracious to us while we filmed, even though they were very busy taking care of their patrons. They helped us tremendously to tell their story. Now from the scenery side, nothing tops the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Mount Washington is right near the railway, and you get to see it several times on any of the trips you take. The valley train takes you through the beautiful and lush farmland; the notch train climbs you up over two beautiful and historic trestles while you climb over the notch, where you get a beautiful view down into the valley. My two favorite cars to film on was the dome car, because of the panoramic views you get, and the open-air car, where all of your five senses will be satisfied. In closing, this is a must trip for anyone who enjoys a deep railroad history, beautiful scenery, and great people.