Owego
On June 12, 2026, the Union Pacific's #4014 "Big Boy" steam locomotive pulled a train through Owego, New York during its eastern leg of the Coast to Coast tour. My wife and I traveled out to see the engine arrive at the Owego Depot. The engine led a 14-car train that also consisted of two addition UP tenders and two other engines (only used if needed).
The Owego Railroad Depot is now a restaurant. I couldn't get a great photo of it due to the crowd.
There is also a yard right there which, at the time, had a few small engines and a number of sidings with cars.
Owego also has a Steam Fire Engine from 1866. It is housed in a display structure but the village brought it out for the day to be viewed alongside the Big Boy.
The Owego Railroad Depot is now a restaurant. I couldn't get a great photo of it due to the crowd.
There is also a yard right there which, at the time, had a few small engines and a number of sidings with cars.
Owego also has a Steam Fire Engine from 1866. It is housed in a display structure but the village brought it out for the day to be viewed alongside the Big Boy.
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Binghamton
On our trip to see the Big Boy, we stopped at Binghamton, New York. During the stop we found the Binghamton Depot and the Nofolk Southern yard in town. Here's some shots of that visit.
The Binghamton Depot has "Lackawana Railroad" set in stone over the front door near the peak.
The Marconi Tower sits next to the depot. It was built November 1913 to test the idea of transmitting telegraph signals directly to trains along the route between Binghamton, NY and Scranton, PA. There were two towers built in each city; only this one remains.
A few other railroad buildings stood out to me at the NS yard. There was a building across the yard that says "Freight & Passenger" over the windows. I haven't looked into it yet, but I imagine it was used by another railroad at one time. The other building was directly next to the depot and Marconi Tower. It was built in 1905 and is now used as an ice cream shop.
The Binghamton Depot has "Lackawana Railroad" set in stone over the front door near the peak.
The Marconi Tower sits next to the depot. It was built November 1913 to test the idea of transmitting telegraph signals directly to trains along the route between Binghamton, NY and Scranton, PA. There were two towers built in each city; only this one remains.
A few other railroad buildings stood out to me at the NS yard. There was a building across the yard that says "Freight & Passenger" over the windows. I haven't looked into it yet, but I imagine it was used by another railroad at one time. The other building was directly next to the depot and Marconi Tower. It was built in 1905 and is now used as an ice cream shop.
New York City
2018 - old trolley rails set into a cobblestone street, Brooklyn, NYC
On one of my first-ever trips to New York City, I stumbled across these old trolley lines in Brooklyn set into a cobblestone street. At the time, I had little to no interest in rail history but something about this find changed that. These rails can be found on Plymouth Street, Brooklyn, NY.
Besides these, there are a few other interesting sites in NYC for rail enthusiasts. My favorite is The High Line, a walking path that uses the ex-ROW for the New York Central Railroad. It runs north-south between Gansevoort St and W 30th then continuing east-west on W 30th and looping around the MTA West Side Yard. There are some good viewing spots of the yard here. Throughout the High Line, there are spots where the rails were left in place or other railroad artifacts can be found.
Besides these, there are a few other interesting sites in NYC for rail enthusiasts. My favorite is The High Line, a walking path that uses the ex-ROW for the New York Central Railroad. It runs north-south between Gansevoort St and W 30th then continuing east-west on W 30th and looping around the MTA West Side Yard. There are some good viewing spots of the yard here. Throughout the High Line, there are spots where the rails were left in place or other railroad artifacts can be found.
- New York Transit Museum
- Red Caboose (model train store)
- Grand Central Terminal
