The “Tupper Lake Explorer” train departs from the station’s new terminal for the first time on Sunday. The Adirondack Scenic Railroad’s Tupper Lake season restarted last weekend for its third year, with this trip selling out. (Provided photo — John Tabi)

TUPPER LAKE — Train service to and from Tupper Lake resumed on Sunday as the Adirondack Scenic Railroad’s third season returning to the Tri-Lakes got back on track after a brief delay.

The trains will run every Sunday through Oct. 12, except on Sept. 7. That’s when the railroad inspects all the equipment for maintenance ahead of the busy fall foliage season.

General Manager Amanda Hill said the first weekend back went well with the 1.5-hour round-trip “Tupper Lake Explorer” route to Sabattis from Tupper Lake selling out with 150 passengers.

The “Adirondack Mountaineer,” which goes from Thendara to Tupper Lake with a 4.5-hour layover in town, had good ridership, but doesn’t really get going until the leaves start to change colors.

This is higher than the 2023 ridership, which averaged around 30 to 40 people each weekend.

Hill said they will add additional cars in the fall to accommodate the larger number of passengers.

“Everybody wants to look at the pretty leaves,” Hill said. “We say we’re your front seat to nature.”

Trains allow passengers to go places not accessible by car, she said.

The Tupper Lake train season started in the first week of July and ran for a week before a small human-caused washout occurred near Sabattis. A contractor diverting water from a worksite had a pump break, which washed out the fill under the rails.

Hill said it took a couple of weeks to replace the track and fill.

“Lots of man hours to get that fixed,” she said.

Hill said the railroad is considering expanding the number of trains going to and from Tupper Lake next year. She said they have heard interest in routes from Tupper Lake to Thendara or Tupper Lake to Utica, and will be considering adding beer and wine trains or dinner trains on one or both of these routes in the 2026 season’s summer and fall.

She said they’ll be “sampling the water” to see if they should add further routes in future years.

The schedules will need to work around the recreational rail bike services ASR runs.

Hill said the rail bikes are selling out on certain days. They do tours on Wednesdays through Saturdays.

The new Tupper Lake station is “beautiful,” Hill said, and she appreciates all the work that went into the track and the structures there.

Hill said the ASR has three new coach cars from a railroad in the Finger Lakes, which are the dedicated set for Tupper Lake, as well as a new ALCO Century 430 locomotive, with two more of these models on the way.

Hill said this season is seeing an uptick in sales so far, especially among locals. With inflation rising and the economy straining families, she said people are doing things closer to home instead of taking two-week Disney vacations. These staycations are driving increased ticket sales.

The Adirondack Mountaineer departs Thendara at 9 a.m. and includes free shuttle service throughout Tupper Lake. More information on this trip can be found at adirondackrr.com/adirondack-mountaineer.

The Tupper Lake Explorer departs from Tupper Lake at noon and 2 p.m. More information on this trip can be found at adirondackrr.com/tupper-lake.

The first passenger train operated by the Mohawk and Malone Railroad arrived in Tupper Lake in 1892, according to the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society. Today, 133 years later, trains still run on those lines.