Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was bookended by a pair of dramatic railroad trips through the State of New York. His first term began with a pre-inaugural railway tour — his second ended with a funeral train.
Each was a five-day crossing of the Empire State and these two journeys allowed thousands of ordinary Americans first to celebrate, and later to mourn, the great president, and became indelibly etched in the memories of those who had the opportunity to stand along parade route. [Read more…] about Railroad History: Lincoln Specials
Love it or hate it, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has been in operation for over 180 years under the same name and moving people from one end of the Island to the other. Dave Morrison definitely loves it, as his seventh book on LIRR history attests. On the latest episode of the Long Island History Project, we discuss the storied history of the LIRR, from steam locomotives setting the woods on fire to the coming of diesel and the push to attract people to build homes as far out on Long Island as possible. We also detail the detective work involved in Dave’s new book from Arcadia Pres, Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station: Statuary and Sculptures. 
The Saratoga County History Roundtable is set to present a program on a forgotten Saratoga County railroad on Thursday, June 13 at 7 pm, at Brookside Museum, 6 Charlton Street, in Ballston Spa. 
This year is the 185th anniversary of the founding of the Long Island Railroad. Despite service delays and fare increases it remains the spine of Long Island and the center of its transportation network. The LIRR serves over 300,000 passengers a week with about 90 million rides a year.
President of the O&W Railway Historical Society Jeffrey Otto will lead a presentation on the O&W (the New York, Ontario and Western Railway), from Young’s Gap (just north of Liberty) to Cadosia, concentrating on the many bridges in that section and the industries served by the railroad.
The Catskill Mountain Railroad is set to celebrate classic 1903 silent movie “Great Train Robery” on May 26th with interactive train rides at the Westbrook Station in Kingston.
Newly organized and now available to researchers, Cornell University Library’s 
Lifelong train enthusiast Paul Shinal will present an illustrated lecture on the “Auburn Road” in Theater Mack on Tuesday, November 15 at 7 pm, at the Cayuga Museum.