All Aboard! A Lovely Introduction to my Wonderful Blog

Ahoy friends, and welcome to The Railroading Captain! My name is Bill McNally, and I have been working in the tourism industry on both water and rail since 2008. In 2024, I also became a licensed Captain. I live in Connecticut and spend most of my time working on tourist trains and boats in the lower Connecticut River Valley. In previous years I worked on charter vessels in Boston Harbor and Lake Winnipesaukee, in New Hampshire. I have also been working as part of a train crew since 2017, both working and volunteering, and loving every minute on board. My enthusiasm for vessels and trains both began in childhood and have carried on into my adulthood. Honestly, is there any activity more relaxing than a day on the water, or any experience more thrilling than hearing a real steam locomotive huff and puff? I don’t think so!

In this blog, I will primarily share with you my experiences working in both the tour/charter boat and heritage railroading industries, as well as topics covering the tourism industry in general. I will share blog posts that will tell stories, share information, plus entertain and inform you. For the record, I do not claim to be a true expert in my field, as I am not a businessman, but I do have a wealth of knowledge, stories, and other information to share with you all.

Additionally, I will be reviewing experiences that I have on board different vessels and at heritage railroads across the country and around the world. Note that my reviews will only speak to the experiences that I have as a customer, not an employee. That goes doubly true for vessel operators and railroads that I have worked for.

Finally, some of my posts will be of a slightly more personal nature, where I will talk about my life experiences, as well as my other hobbies. Said hobbies include costuming/cosplay, living history, and model railroading.

Welcome aboard, everyone, and I hope you enjoy the trip!