The Winter Mountaineer Crosses Willey Brook Bridge

This photo of the Conway Scenic Railroad Mountaineer crossing Willey Brook Bridge became wildly popular recently. Every fall visitor to New Hampshire flocks to the crumbling rock bluff overlooking the track with most of them trespassing across the railroad bridge and some even walking down the tracks from the Highland Center. I have no interest in the mob scene on these rocks in the fall but it is undeniably a great composition and I do love trains. So, when Conway Scenic announced they would be running a Winter Mountaineer train through Crawford Notch on the weekends last year, I knew I had to try to get this shot.

I bushwhacked my way around the trestle so as to respect the railroad property and to keep myself out of the way of the train itself. One of the tricky parts of taking this photo is that the train does not run on a schedule that gives times when it crosses the bridge. You have to estimate from the departure time from North Conway. It’s much easier to wait in the sun on a beautiful fall day than it is during a heavy snowstorm!

Please note that the railroad is an active railroad and it is illegal to trespass by walking along the tracks. I did not trespass anywhere to get to the spot where I took this photo and anyone else who wants to visit this spot should also respect the railroad’s safety and property and do the work to safely get here.