Come ride with us on The American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners (AAPRCO) Convention Special from Albany-Rensselaer, NY to Syracuse, NY via the Amtrak route then travel through the Finger Lakes area of New York to Canandaigua on rare mileage via the shortline Finger Lakes Railway.  

Our train of exclusive private rail cars will be joined by other AAPRCO Car Owners who have lovingly restored their cars to operate on the Amtrak network.

American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners - 46th Annual Convention Train

Join AAPRCO as an Associate Member

All participants must be over 18 years old.  

All areas onboard the railcars are strictly Non-Smoking.

All guests must be at least an Associate Member of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners (AAPRCO) and you may join by clicking here.

This offer is limited to a total of 8 bedrooms (maximum of 16 overnight guests) on two railcars.

Trains may be delayed due to a variety of factors and we cannot assure that scheduled dates and times will not change.

In the event there is an equipment malfunction with a railcar, the operator will attempt to substitute similar railcars but the accommodations may vary from those originally described. 

Scheduled 8:00 AM Departure from Amtrak Station at Albany-Rensselaer, NY

Travel via Syracuse, NY 

Arrive Canandaigua, NY around 6:00 PM

Guests Detrain for a Welcome Reception at 7:00 PM at the Twisted Rail Brew Pub (169 Lakeshore Dr, Canandaigua, NY 14424)

Guests re-board Pullman Cars for conversation with fellow travelers and a restful night of reflection on the day's travels.

Day on your own to explore Canandaigua

Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park: One of the country's most extensively preserved estates from the Victorian era. 

Granger Homestead & Carriage House Museum: 1816 Federal-style mansion was the home for Gideon Granger, the country's first and longest-serving Postmaster General. 

Ontario County Courthouse: Susan B. Anthony was tried here in 1873 for voting in the 1872 presidential elections in Rochester. 

Ontario County Historical Society: Permanent and rotating exhibits are on display here. There is also an extensive research library. 

New York Kitchen: The center showcases foods, wines, and other agricultural products from the entire state. It offers hands-on cooking classes and meeting space and has a full-service restaurant.  

Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail: The 41-mile trail includes award-winning wineries, great restaurants, gourmet food shops, and picnic venues. 

Lunch and Dinner on your own.

Enjoy another night of Pullman sleeping accommodations in the Finger Lakes Wine Country.

AAPRCO OFFICIAL CONVENTION ACTIVITIES

 8:30 - Annual meeting presentations

12:00 - Lunch on your own

 1:30 - Annual meeting presentations

 5:00 - Annual Meeting adjourns

 5:30 - Board of Directors Meeting

Our train remains parked in Canandaigua while our guests have the option of taking in the local sites in the morning.

 9:30-10:30 AM -  Crepe Brunch with Chef Pierre 

11:30 AM-2:00 PM  Luncheon Cruise on the Steamboat  The Canandaigua Lady 

2:30-4:30 PM   Wine & Chocolate Tasting 

6:30-9 PM Car Tour and Party onboard AAPRCO Special Train

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM  Depart Canandaigua by charter bus at 8:00 a.m. and arrive in Corning at 9:30 a.m. Lunch is available for purchase in the museum cafeteria. We will return to Canandaigua by 2:00 p.m. Round trip bus transportation and museum entrance are $99 per person.  Corning Museum of Glass 

2:00 PM - 4:30 PM - Enjoy wine and light hors d'oeuvres as three local Finger Lakes wineries visit our special train to offer tastings of their finest vintages. To sign up  click here.

We bid farewell to Canandaigua as we follow the track of the original Auburn & Syracuse Railroad (this was part of the original rail link between Albany and Buffalo) with a stop at the Historic Martisco Passenger Station at 12:15 PM. 

1:45 PM After a brief tour of the Martisco Station our Special will depart for Syracuse.

3:30 PM once we have uncoupled from the Finger Lakes Railway locomotives we will join the mainline for travel Eastbound with our estimated arrival in to Albany-Rensselaer around 6:30 PM.

Guests may remain onboard overnight and depart on Saturday.