Lackawanna Trail Park: Trains, Trails, Transportation and Tourism

South Columbia Station

Once a bustling creamery depot, the South Columbia station is taking on new life as the home of the Lackawanna Trail Park and the Utica Chenango Susquehanna Valley railroad.

UCSV Train Rides

The creamery building serves as the depot for new, experimental train rides on the company’s narrow gauge railroad. The building includes bathrooms and space for a museum.

Lackawanna Trail Park

The park is a unique combination of train attraction, nature trail, and historic preservation project. The privately-owned trailbed allows hikers to share the space with the narrow gauge railroad.

Historic Weimar Engine

In addition to restoring historic buildings at the site, owners are restoring historic trains like this Weimar engine.

Train tickets

The historic train seats a maximum of 20 people, who are dropped off to explore a nature trail on foot. Riders can then catch another train when they are ready to return. In addition to regular rides, the business runs special events like ice cream trains and illuminated holiday rides.

Historic Junction

The Creamery building and trains may be the main attraction, but the park and effort are helping to preserve an entire historic junction, where other buildings like the old mercantile are just as interesting.

Photos ©Community Workshop LLC

Where: 167 McCoons Road, South Columbia, NY

What: Rail trail and train rides at historic railway line

Across the U.S., abandoned railway lines are being reinvented as prime outdoor recreation and tourist destinations. The Lackawanna Trail Park in South Columbia is combining a 4-mile nature trail with a new narrow gauge rail line that offers truly unique opportunities to experience local history and nature. The historic Newark Milk & Cream Co. building serves as the depot and the Utica Chenango & Susquehanna Valley Railroad is already offering fun events like ice cream rides and holiday trains. The first short rail spur is a demonstration and a way to test interest; eventually, owner Ben Gottfried hopes this could be the base of an expanded tourist and local passenger rail service in the area.

Why: Repurpose old infrastructure for recreation, culture, tourism, and transportation

The golden age of railroads may be past, but abandoned rail lines are a golden opportunity to develop new attractions that serve many different user groups and community goals. Rail trails can create valuable hiking, snowmobiling, and mountain biking opportunities with minimal excavation or work, giving residents healthy physical activities and drawing outdoor recreation tourists. Restoring historic depot buildings can help celebrate and preserve local history while creating cultural tourism opportunities.

While it’s common to find rail trails on old rail lines, the Lackawanna Trail Park and train rides are unique in combining a walking and nature trail with new rail service. Narrow gauge railroads are less expensive to build and operate than full-size railroads, and can provide valuable transportation options for locals and tourist experiences.

More:

• Visit: Buy tickets, take a hike, and help support them in redeveloping the site

• Read: check out the Times Telegram article, “Train Day: 'We have a growing railroad here with more exciting developments in the future'“

• Help: Get in touch if you’re interested in helping to develop a narrow gauge rail line in Southern Herkimer County

Get inspired:

• Rail trails & restoration: Got an abandoned rail line in your community? Find out who owns it and explore whether it could become a rail trail. Even without a trail, any site with historic buildings or elements offers a great opportunity restore elements and let people discover the local history.

• Incremental growth: Got a big vision for a project? Take the Rail Park’s approach and build just a small piece to start. You’ll be able to gauge interest and build enthusiasm while raising money and planning for next stages.

• Combined uses: One of the most effective ways to draw more people and diversify revenue is to combine uses. Look for creative ways to add on components, like combining a train with a nature trail and history experience.

• Steady tourism: Major festivals are fun, but a more sustainable approach to tourism is to develop attractions and events that draw people on a regular basis, all year long, and appeal to both locals and visitors. The Park does this well by offering different seasonal rides and experiences throughout the year, which gives people a reason to keep coming back.