The United Railroad Historical Society of NJ, in partnership with the Finger Lakes Rail Experience, is excited to announce a one-weekend-only rare-mileage excursion event on the Finger Lakes Railway!

About the Trip

The Auburn Road Special is a one-weekend-only, rare mileage rail excursion along the eastern portion of the Finger Lakes Railway. Each round-trip train will depart Solvay, NY, just outside of Syracuse, and traverse the former Auburn & Syracuse Railroad, one of the oldest railroads in New York State and one which has not seen public passenger service since the 1950s.

Passengers will travel on this former New York Central route aboard three authentic New York Central lounge cars, complete with the first-class service one would expect in the golden age of rail travel. Passengers will enjoy food and beverages on board and disembark for photo run-bys at Martisco, NY and Cayuga, NY, with a tour of the Martisco station included. This can’t-miss opportunity will only be available for one weekend only, prior to the start of the second operating season of the Finger Lakes Rail Experience!

TRIP Highlights

6-hour, round-trip, rare mileage excursion

All-first-class seating and service

Three authentic New York Central lounge cars

On-board dining with beer and wine for purchase

Two photo run-bys

Tour of the restored 1870 Martisco Depot

Exclusive New York Central themed take-homes

accommodations

Hickory Creek - $399

First-Class Observation Seating, Chef-Prepared Meal, Beer & Wine

Passengers riding this historic observation car will have included in their ticket a three-course meal cooked by our chef in the Hickory Creek’s on-board kitchen, as well as beer and wine throughout the trip. Professional staff in period attire will be on hand for the whole round trip to serve guests at their seats. Passengers will enjoy the breathtaking rear view from the Hickory Creek, unobstructed by a locomotive for the first half of the trip. All tickets include a souvenir ticket and tote bag, with an extra giveaway for Hickory Creek passengers only.

The Hickory Creek was the rearmost - and most exclusive - car on the 20th Century Limited. It was a signature work of industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, with its unique “Lookout Lounge” and oversized picture windows meant for the one-of-a-kind view of the Hudson River. Its timeless design serves its purpose as well today as it did in 1948.

Swift Stream - $199

Table Seating (for 2 or 4) or
Private Suites (for up to 4)

Passengers riding this historic sleeper/lounge car will enjoy a catered luncheon featuring a variety of fresh-made sandwiches and crisp chips. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Seats 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. Throughout the trip, professional staff in period attire will be on hand to serve guests at their seats. All tickets include a souvenir ticket and tote bag.

Tavern-Lounge No. 43 - $199

First-Class Lounge Seating

Passengers riding this historic lounge car will enjoy a catered lunch featuring a variety of fresh-made sandwiches and crisp chips. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. The car has both banquette seating and lounge chairs, with plenty of room left for passengers to move about. Throughout the trip, professional staff in period attire will be on hand to serve guests at their seats. All tickets include a souvenir ticket and tote bag.

The Tavern Lounge No. 43 was built in 1947, and served as a luxury lounge for travelers going in and out of Grand Central Terminal. It was a place for passengers to relax, drink, and enjoy the company of their fellow passengers, just as they do with us today.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 27 at exactly 10am. Refresh this page at 10 am to find the link to purchase tickets.
Advance ticket sales are available for members of the Central New York Chapter, NRHS, stewards of the Martisco Station.
The train departs at 10 am each day. Passengers should arrive no later than 9:30am. Boarding location and full itinerary will be provided in the booking confirmation.
No dress code is required, but business casual and up is recommended, in keeping with the tradition of first-class, mid-century rail travel.
The train will stop twice for passengers to detrain and enjoy a photo run-by. Sturdy, closed toed shoes are recommended for walking on some uneven terrain.
Beer and wine are included in the price of your ticket aboard the Hickory Creek. In other cars, beer and wine is available for purchase. BYOB is not permitted. Passengers are welcome to bring their own food and beverages, especially if food allergies are a concern.

Martisco Station Tour

The Martisco Station Museum is a restored former New York Central Railroad station built in 1870 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving the legacy of the historic Auburn Road rail line that once linked Syracuse and Auburn. Located along today’s Finger Lakes Railway, the two-story Victorian brick station reflects the importance of the branch during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when it hosted busy passenger service and a wide variety of New York Central equipment. Saved from demolition in the 1960s and carefully restored by the Central New York Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, the station now serves as a museum interpreting regional railroad history, complete with period furnishings, exhibits, and a reconstructed station wing housing a research library.

Your Ticket Helps Restore the 20th Century Limited

This special excursion is raising funds for historic improvements to the Hickory Creek! When our world-famous observation car was restored in the early 2000s, certain key historical details were unavailable — most notably the correct carpet pattern and the identity of the painting that originally hung on the lounge wall. In recent years, however, those important details have finally been rediscovered.

In partnership with AMC Rail, URHS was able to identify and source the original dark red, alligator skin-patterned carpet used in the car. That carpet will be special-ordered and professionally installed in Hickory Creek later this year, returning the lounge to its authentic appearance.

Additionally, builders’ photographs revealed a painting displayed prominently on the front wall of the lounge. We know that this and other works rotated on loan from the Grand Central Art Galleries. Thanks to advances in reverse image search technology, URHS identified the painting shown in Hickory Creek at the time it entered service as Cutting Ice, Monhegan Island by Andrew Winter. The original painting is part of the collection of the Monhegan Museum of Art & History on Monhegan Island. Funds raised from this excursion will allow URHS to produce an archival-quality, professionally framed reproduction of the painting, made possible through a high-resolution scan generously provided by the Museum.

Through these historically accurate restorations, Hickory Creek will once again reflect the elegance and artistic refinement that defined its original presentation.

ABOUT THE ROUTE

The Auburn Road originated as the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad, which was chartered in the early 1830s to connect the growing industrial and commercial center of Auburn with the Erie Canal and the emerging rail hub at Syracuse. Opened in stages during the 1830s, it was among the earliest railroads in central New York and was constructed to typical early-railroad standards, featuring relatively light infrastructure, gentle grades, and modest curvature. Its primary purpose was the reliable, year-round movement of passengers, agricultural products, and canal-related freight rather than high-speed operation. Through successive mergers and consolidations in the mid-19th century, the line became part of the New York Central Railroad, where it functioned as a secondary main and feeder route linking Finger Lakes communities to Syracuse and the broader system. The Auburn Road stands as a representative example of how locally chartered pioneer railroads were absorbed into a unified trunk-line network that supported the economic development of upstate New York.