BOONTON, N.J. — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey will be hosting a weekend of rail excursions along the former New York Central Auburn Road branch on April 18-19, the organzation announced in a Facebook post.
The Auburn Road Special will offer two excursions covering what is now the east end of the Finger Lakes Railway. Proceeds will support improvements to the society’s former 20th Century Limited lounge car Hickory Creek.
There are 78 tickets available per trip. Tickets sales begin at 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 27.
One excursion will be run each day. The trips are scheduled for six hours between Solvay and Seneca Falls, N.Y. Passengers will ride aboard one of URHS’s three authentic New York Central lounge cars — Hickory Creek, tavern-lounge No. 43, or the Swift Stream. The trips will feature lunch served on board, two photo runbys, a single-locomotive consist, and a tour of the historic 1870 Martisco, N.Y., station.
During the Auburn Road Special, passengers ticketed for the Hickory Creek will enjoy a three-course meal prepared by an onboard chef, with beer and wine served throughout, all included in the ticket price. Professional staff in period attire will be on hand for the entire trip to serve guests at their seats. Hickory Creek passengers will also enjoy the spectacular rear view from the Lookout Lounge, unobstructed by a locomotive for the first half of the excursion.
Seats in the Swift Stream are sold in groups of two or four at either reserved tables in the car’s lounge or private suites in the car’s Pullman bedrooms. Suites consist of two bedrooms opened up to each other, arranged for daytime seating, as they would have been in the 1940s. Seats in the tavern-lounge No. 43 consist of either banquette seating or lounge chairs, with plenty of room for passengers to move about.
The event will serve as a fundraiser for planned improvements to the Hickory Creek, the signature tail car from the 1948 edition of the 20th Century Limited. When the car was restored, key historical details were unavailable, notably the correct carpet pattern and the identity of the painting that originally hung on the lounge wall. Through research in recent years, URHS has accurately identified the carpet pattern and the painting. Both will now be added to the car.
The Hickory Creek, according to Kevin Phalon, URHS executive director, was one of a few cars of its type, if not the only one, to carry an original painting hung on the wall of its lounge area. “Through advanced reverse photo searching techniques we have been able to identify that painting,” Phalon says. “We found it now belongs to a museum in Maine. They have agreed to provide a high-quality scan for reproduction. It is one more detail that will bring the car closer to original status.”
These excursions mark the beginning of the Finger Lakes Rail Experience’s second season. Founded in 2025 as a partnership between FMW Rail Operations and the Finger Lakes Railway, FLRX brought wine train excursions to life across several New York counties, including Ontario, Seneca, and Cayuga, carrying more than 11,000 passengers in its inaugural season.
For additional information or ticket purchase, please visit the United Railway Historical Society of New Jersey website.
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