The Pomeroy Family Railroad at the Copake Iron Works Historic Site in Taconic State Park is open Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm to 4pm, from Memorial Day weekend to mid-October. There is no charge to ride the railroad and no reservation is required. Adults and children of all ages are welcome. The railroad is fully accessible for differently-abled passengers.

Built entirely by volunteer labor and private funds, the Pomeroy Family Railroad runs on a 950-foot loop. The engine pulls two retrofitted ore carts to carry passengers. The rail line replicates the narrow-gauge railroad that transported iron ore from the nearby mine (now known as the Ore Pit Swimming Area in Taconic State Park) to the blast furnace at the Copake Iron Works during the 19th century. A narrative describing significant points on the rail line helps riders understand the area’s rich industrial heritage.

The Pomeroy Family Railroad is the only full-scale railroad operating in all of New York State’s 180 parks. Friends of Taconic State Park built it entirely with private funding to showcase the historic Copake Iron Works and its Visitor Center, Museum, and Blast Furnace. The Pomeroy family has a special connection to the Copake Iron Works: their ancestor, Lemuel Pomeroy, founded the Copake Iron Works in 1845. Lemuel and family members are buried in the nearby cemetery of the Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Copake Falls. In addition to The Pomeroy Family Railroad, several individual components, including the engine and passenger cars, are named for ancestors of the Pomeroy family. Interpretative signage at the site informs visitors of the important Pomeroy Family history.

Friends of Taconic State Park identified the re-creation of the narrow gauge railroad that once circumnavigated the Copake Iron Works as a priority project in 2010. Following several years of planning and permit seeking, construction of the railroad began in September 2021. The completion of construction of the Pomeroy Family Railroad was made possible by a significant contribution from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Above, a scene from the project’s June 7, 2023 ribbon-cutting ceremony.)