Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railroad

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The Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railroad is an American tourist railroad located on America's Cup Avenue in downtown Newport, Rhode Island, just across the street from the Visitors Center for the city. Formed over 25 years ago it is presently run by Donald Elbert, Executive Director and Jack Doyle, General Manager as a non-profit 501c 3 Corporation. Currently they are using vintage equipment including two 60 year old General Electric 45 Ton locomotives. Passenger Equipment consists of two wooden open end cars, one built in 1904 for the Boston and Maine Railroad by Laconia Car Company and a 1884 Parlor Car from the Intercontinental Railway. Two other cars are used for maintenance purposes and are a flatcar and a caboose.

They operate with volunteers each and every Sunday only year round due to mild Newport Winters. Each car has a real coal stove and the parlor car is equipped with a restroom. The route takes them through the Newport Navy Base, involving Navy Guards opening and closing gates for each and every move through the facility. The route passes within 800 feet of two Aircraft Carriers stored at the base. The USS Saratoga and the USS Forrestal are not open for display but are clearly visible at Pier One.

The Newport Secondary line came into existence not just as a train ride to the city, but was built in the days of the steamers that plied the waters between Fall River and New York City prior to connecting railroad lines were completed. Passengers at first were sped down from Boston to Fall River by the Old Colony Railroad to board a slow ship that ran down Long Island sound to arrive at NY the next mornng. As all the steamers had to travel down Narragansett Bay past Newport to reach the ocean, it occurred to officials that time could be saved by having the fast Old Colony Train go all the way to Newport to load passengers on the steamers to NY. After the completion of the rail line from Boston to New York the steamers were dismantled and sold as surplus material.