Tales from the North Pole: Holiday Party and Picture-Perfect Moments
Hello friends! This post is coming a day late. There are so many stories to share! The North Pole Express is in its final week of operations for the year, and recently we had our Essex Steam Train holiday cocktail party. That was tons of fun! More details on the party are coming up later…
Holiday Magic: Tales from the North Pole Express
Hello friends! The North Pole Express is in full swing at the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat. Today, Monday December 9th, is a rare day off for me. We do not run trains on Mondays during the holiday season. With so much happening, there are lots of stories to share. Today I will share a…
Big Fluffy Love: A Tribute to My Beloved Timber Girl
Hello friends. This is the most difficult post I have ever written. My beloved Newfoundland dog, Timber, is dead. When this post is published, she will have arrived at the Rainbow Bridge. She has been my constant companion for over eleven years. I have treasured every moment with her. Timber’s health began to suffer when…
Life on the Platform: Boarding Coaches at Christmas Time
Hello friends! Welcome to another post on The Railroading Captain. This week I will continue to talk about my experiences working aboard the North Pole Express. As always, the views expressed on this blog are my own and may not reflect those of the company. The North Pole Express is a gargantuan production, requiring over…
All Aboard, We’re on Our Way: The North Pole Express
Hello friends! This week we will be talking about the North Pole Express, the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat’s signature Christmas event. As usual, when discussing the organizations I am involved with, the views expressed in this post are my own. While I can easily fill a whole book with my experiences working this particular…
Getting Yourself Through The Off-Season
Hello friends! In this week’s post we’re going to talk about what many in the heritage railroading business face: working seasonally. This is a reality for many companies, museums, and other institutions. For certain parts of the year, the weather is too cold to run trains, or people are taking their vacations in warmer climates….
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This is how it all started…
In November of 1990, my life began. Not long after, I would be watching Thomas and Friends on VHS, which began a lifelong love of trains. Then one Christmas, my uncle would give me my first electric train set. It was a Lionel Large Scale Thomas, with Annie & Clarabel, and a circle of track. Hence began my love of model railroading. Loving model trains would turn into loving real trains as I entered adulthood, and today I proudly work on heritage trains.
This venture began in 2024 as a way to launch a new business venture, further my writing skills, and share my love of railroading with the wider community. Thank you so much for coming aboard, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Bill McNally is a lifelong lover of trains that run on steam. He is also a licensed Captain and enjoys piloting boats.