TUPPER LAKE – Although the train tracks between here and Lake Placid are set to be removed, local rail bike company Rail Explorers expanded its Adirondack operation this summer by adding an 18-mile ride from Lake Clear to Tupper Lake.

The six-hour journey winds through lake country, with riders pedaling four-wheeled cars on the tracks. Rail Explorers co-owner Mary Joy Lu reports the company had 53 customers in August and expects about 60 for September. There is one trip per day on weekends, and rides cost $150.

Lu said the Tupper Lake trip has sold out each weekend but is restricted to 15 riders, per Department of Environmental Conservation group size limits aimed at minimizing human impact in wilderness areas – or in this case the St. Regis Canoe Area, which is treated as wilderness. Lu said her company is very conscious of “leaving no footprints,” including using only recyclable materials to pack in lunches that are part of the ride package.

Rail Explorers, owned by Lu and her husband Alex Catchpoole, is temporarily renting the train station in Tupper Lake for the excursions that began at the end of August.

That’s in addition to the Saranac Lake-to-Lake Clear run that is now in its second summer.

Ridership rise

Ridership between Saranac Lake and Lake Clear increased over last year, with 6,200 this July and 7,300 in August, according to Lu.

“We are already ahead of what we had by the end of last September,” Lu said. By the end of the 2015 season, customers totaled 15,000, she said.

And that’s with prices increasing from $25 per person last year to $75 for two people this year.

With 23 rail bikes and multiple trips a day, the company employs 34 people including licensed guides, bus drivers, and office and reservation staff.

Looking elsewhere

But the future of the state-owned tracks, and hence the Rail Explorers presence here, is in question. A tug-of-war between railroad enthusiasts advocating for fixing the tracks and those who want the tracks replaced with a biking, hiking, snowmobile path has been going on for years. Earlier this year, the governor approved plans to remove the tracks between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid, but upgrade the tracks as far north as Tupper Lake. The state Department of Environmental Conservation said earlier this month that rail removal and initial trail construction will begin next summer. The group that runs the Adirondack Scenic Railroad has sued the state; the case will be heard in court Wednesday in Malone. If the suit is unsuccessful, the company will need to find a new home base.

“We definitely plan on staying in the Adirondacks,” Lu said. That could mean relocating south toward Tupper Lake and Sabattis, a move that would make it harder for customers to access, she said.

Meanwhile, the couple is looking at other options for expansion, including starting a Rail Explorers branch in the Catskills. On Wednesday, Lu and Catchpoole were with Ulster County representatives inspecting tracks there for possible use. Next they were heading to Newport, Rhode Island, to look at a potential route that would hug Narraganset Bay. Lu confirmed a demonstration route in Delaware they used on a trial basis earlier this year will become a permanent addition.

“It’s really terrific,” she said. “People really want to work with us.”

In Tupper Lake

On the Tupper Lake run, riders break for mid-morning tea and lunch, which is provided in part by Larkin’s Deli and Bakery in Tupper Lake.

“We really like forming partnerships when we can,” said Lu. This weekend they are working the Wild Center and bringing the museum’s naturalist Rob Carr on board. In the future, Lu envisions a stargazing tour with staff from the Adirondack Public Observatory.

Next Stop Tupper Lake is a nonprofit group responsible for building the train depot in the village. Board member Chiprle Mecklenberg, who also works for Rail Explorers part-time, took the 18-mile trip and said it was beautiful and well-executed, with a stop at a scenic sandy beach.

“People are just crazy about it,” she said. “Why would you think there would be any better use of the track?”

The Main Street Restaurant in Tupper Lake is situated near the train depot, but owner Shaun LaBarge said he’s seen no sign of Rail Explorers or its riders so far.

“The crazy thing is I haven’t seen any of them here,” he said. “The customers must get bused away right after.”

Although LaBarge is not reaping a direct benefit from the company, he said the rail bikes are “really cool” but pointed to a scant local presence.

“There are no signs, no local advertising, no fliers.”

Tupper Lake resident Maureen Peroza sits on the board of a group called Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates. She said she does not wish the Rail Explorers any ill will, but the business contradicts what she and others have been lobbying for – which is to build a recreational path where the tracks currently lie.

“I think they’ve done really well, and I wish them success, just somewhere else,” she said. “They came in at the 11th hour, and I worry it will delay what we have been working so hard for.”