Hal Raven stands with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and an elf as they prepare to head down the tracks on the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railway\u2019s Candy Cane Express.
Courtesy of Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBy Paul Post<\/p>\n
Hal Raven could drive the train, but he\u2019d rather be the conductor punching tickets like Tom Hanks on the Polar Express.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my thing, talking with people, interacting, getting kids excited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His company, the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railway, gives people Christmas-themed memories to last a lifetime on the Candy Cane Express, a fun festive ride that runs through Dec. 22 highlighted by visits from Santa, music, lights and hot cocoa refreshments.<\/p>\n
Raven, a Queensbury resident, gave up a 28-year railroading career to fulfill his dream of owning a scenic line. It operates year-round between South Greenfield and Hadley on 17 miles of track owned by the Town of Corinth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do all the maintenance and repairs,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we first took over, weeds were chest high and overgrown. We had to fix all the crossings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two previous operators had run tourist trains from Saratoga Springs to North Creek, but couldn\u2019t make a go of it. This is Raven\u2019s third year in business and by all accounts it\u2019s full steam ahead.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve pretty much worked in every aspect of railroading,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re successful here. My first summer job in high school when I was 17, 18 years old was spiking tracks over in Greenwich for the Battenkill Railroad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, he worked for Canadian Pacific Railway, became a locomotive engineer and eventually moved up to division superintendent for Pan Am Railways, a subsidiary of CSX, in charge of all operations between Rotterdam and Boston.<\/p>\n
Raven said his railway has flourished, unlike previous ones, because of its close ties to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts a different business model,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we do differently is work with all the local businesses, use local products and do local fund-raisers.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Nov. 16, the railway made a special run for Operation Toy Train, giving people a chance to donate gifts for underprivileged children at multiple stops where crowds enjoyed live music and free taste treats.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts a lot different when it\u2019s run by somebody who was born and raised here instead of sitting in a corporate office in Chicago,\u201d Raven said. \u201cThere aren\u2019t too many places where the president, owner and CEO is on almost every single train, fixing engines, fixing the track, being out there every day. Its a very hands-on approach. You have to know how to do it all to have a small railroad like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fun continues later this winter with a Valentines Day ride called the Wine and Chocolate Train, followed by St. Patricks and Easter Bunny trips, the Maple in April Hadley Express and a Mothers Day Tea & Brunch Train.<\/p>\n
The full season begins on Memorial Day Weekend and continues through summers with all kinds of special excursions such as dinner trains, Sunday Funday Sundae and Sunset Limited Beer & Wine trains, and both a Pizza and Moonlight Moonshine Express.<\/p>\n
After Labor Day its time for the Pumpkin Picker and Autumn Explorer, leading right back into the holidays.<\/p>\n
The railway also allows cyclists to park cars at the Corinth station, bike south and load bikes on the train for a trip back to their vehicle.<\/p>\n
Part-time employees such as Andrew Leece, of Glenville, help out because of their love for railroading. \u201cMy great-grandfather and my fathers uncle worked for the Erie Lackawana out of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of history with this line. It started out bringing wealthy people from New York City to their Great Camps in the Adirondacks. Teddy Roosevelt took this line to become president after President McKinley was shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019re not only preserving railroad history, but the history of the Adirondacks and our country as well,\u201d Leece said.<\/p>\n
Raven started out with one locomotive and two cars, but to keep up with demand has expanded to six locomotives and 13 cars, as many rides are booked solid.<\/p>\n
He purchased equipment with savings and some revenue from a separate business, Adirondack Cruise & Charter Company, which offers pontoon boat rides on Saratoga Lake.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of it was knowing people in the industry,\u201d he said. \u201cI was able to orchestrate a lot of deals and trades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some locomotives are on other properties, leased out to freight operations, which also generates income.<\/p>\n
The future?<\/p>\n
Previous companies on this rail line went all the way to North Creek. But track north of Corinth is owned by Warren County.<\/p>\n
A firm called Revolution Rail offers rail bike adventures out of North Creek, but the Warren County portion of track hasn\u2019t had train traffic since Saratoga & North Creek Railway ceased operations several years ago.<\/p>\n
Raven said he\u2019d like to partner with Revolution Rail some day, but for now his main focus is doing the best job possible on his section of track.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere both in the tourism business,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes a lot of sense to do things that keep this great asset in place. But we have a nice little home base right here in Corinth. That works good for us right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren County officials have discussed the possibility of tearing up their track, costing an estimated $30 million, and replacing it with a multi-purpose recreation trail.<\/p>\n
Raven is strongly opposed to the idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusloads of people come here,\u201d he said. \u201cWe get groups of special needs kids and seniors. A bike trail is only going to serve a group of elite people. Who\u2019s going to cycle deep into the Adirondacks where you don\u2019t even have cell phone coverage? Certainly not a family with kids, certainly not seniors; not special needs groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrain rides make the beauty of the Adirondacks available to a broader audience,\u201d he said. \u201cIts important to keep this asset intact. Once you lose the infrastructure its gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
For information go to: www.corinthtrain.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Paul Post Hal Raven could drive the train, but he\u2019d rather be the conductor punching tickets like Tom Hanks on the Polar Express. \u201cThat\u2019s my thing, talking with people, interacting, getting kids excited,\u201d he said. His company, the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railway, gives people Christmas-themed memories to last a lifetime on the Candy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":40316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\nA Local Railway Offers Holiday Cheer And Adirondack History On Its Scenic Rides - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2024\/12\/a-local-railway-offers-holiday-cheer-and-adirondack-history-on-its-scenic-rides\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Local Railway Offers Holiday Cheer And Adirondack History On Its Scenic Rides - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Paul Post Hal Raven could drive the train, but he\u2019d rather be the conductor punching tickets like Tom Hanks on the Polar Express. \u201cThat\u2019s my thing, talking with people, interacting, getting kids excited,\u201d he said. 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