Berkshire Scenic Railway Worked To Replace Burned RDC

Published: November 13, 2026

A fire on Saturday, October 24, 2026, damaged New Haven 41, the restored rail diesel car operated by the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum in Massachusetts. No one was hurt. The museum says early assessments indicate the car can be fully repaired, and that it is committed to returning the car to service. With New Haven 41 out at the start of the holiday season, the all-volunteer museum is trying to finish Boston & Maine 6126 so the Tinseliner can run.

New Haven RDC-1 #41 at the Berkshire Scenic Railway in July, 2024. Berkshire Scenic photo.

The fire at Adams

The Berkshire Eagle reported that New Haven 41, built for the New York, New Haven and Hartford, caught fire at about 4:30 p.m. at the Adams train station at 4 Hoosac Street. The car had finished its runs for the day. Smoke came from the equipment and the undercarriage. Adams Fire Chief David J. Lennon said the cause was still under investigation, and that a heating pad used to keep pipes warm so the train can start may have malfunctioned and ignited. The Eagle reported that Adams and Cheshire firefighters fought the fire. No one was injured.

iBerkshires, in an October 30 interview with executive director Melanie Seiden, added detail the Eagle story did not carry. She said the car took significant smoke and exterior damage, including several cracked windows, and that the interior sustained relatively little damage because the fire department answered quickly. She also said the true extent will not be known until mechanics remove and disassemble the car. iBerkshires reported that the insurance company is investigating, and that the fire department believes a heating pad ignited drip pads under the car. That cause is the fire department belief in that account. It is not a finished finding.

A second car for November 27

The museum statement posted October 27 says the crew is racing to finish Boston & Maine 6126 so the annual Tinseliner can run as scheduled, and that tickets already sold for the Tinseliner remain valid. The Eagle and iBerkshires both put the start of those Santa trains on November 27.

Seiden told the Eagle the Boston & Maine car was chosen because it has roughly the same passenger capacity as New Haven 41. She said both are 90-seat, self-propelled passenger cars built in the 1950s. She hopes 6126 can take the place of the damaged car by November 27 so the Tinseliner can run at full capacity. If it is not ready, she said the goal would still be to run, at a lower capacity. The Eagle reported that the Sunday Pumpkin Patch Ride left on the undamaged car, and that rides between North Adams and Adams would continue at reduced capacity with that car for the time being.

iBerkshires reported that 6126 has two engines and can operate in either direction without being turned. Restoration of that car began in 2022. The plan had been to strip a Cape Rail paint scheme, restore a 1950s Boston & Maine appearance, and replace all 22 windows before the car returned to service. After the fire, Seiden said, that cosmetic work was set aside so the car could be made operational for the holiday season. She told iBerkshires the museum is confident the car can be made fully operational, and that it will not be what the museum considers a museum restoration without more help. The first Budd car, she said, was bought about a decade ago for the rides between Adams and North Adams and had been fully restored until the fire.

In a statement carried by the Eagle, Seiden said, “Our entire all-volunteer crew is rolling up their sleeves to pull off what will be nothing short of a holiday miracle.” She also said, “While this fire was a heavy blow, our spirit isn’t broken.”

What the appeal is for

The October 27 statement asks for gifts to buy parts for Boston & Maine 6126, to fund repairs to New Haven 41 that insurance does not cover, and to sustain operations. Gifts can be made online at berkshiretrains.org/support, or by mail to Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum, Attn: Emergency Restoration & Tinseliner Fund, P.O. Box 2195, Lenox, MA 01240.

The Eagle, in the story modified on Monday, October 26, said the museum had raised about $3,700 toward a $100,000 goal as of that Monday. The donation link in that story opens the museum support page. That total is the October 26 figure. It is not a later count.

On October 30, Seiden told iBerkshires the $100,000 goal was set from the cost of restoring 6126, and she gave estimates that go past it. She put window replacement at $60,000 to $70,000, exterior work at $40,000 to $50,000, and engine repairs at $15,000. Moving New Haven 41 from Adams to the maintenance facility in Lenox could cost about $40,000 more, she said. She put the combined estimate at about $165,000, and said $100,000 would not cover every expected expense. She said insurance is expected to cover a great deal of the damage to New Haven 41, and that it was unclear whether insurance would cover the move. Days earlier, she had told the Eagle she did not yet know what either car would need, or what the work would cost. The later figures are her October 30 estimates, not a closed bill.

Sources

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum statement, “Fire Damages Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum’s New Haven 41 Rail Diesel Car,” carried by Preservation Directory, dated posted October 27, 2026, preservationdirectory.com/news/fire-damages-berkshire-scenic-railway-museums-new-haven-41-rail-diesel-car/. Fire on October 24, 2026. No injuries. Thanks to the Adams Fire Department and other first responders. Early assessments say the car can be fully repaired and restored. The museum says it is committed to returning the car to service. Existing Tinseliner tickets remain valid. The appeal covers parts for Boston & Maine 6126, repairs to New Haven 41 that insurance does not cover, and operations. Mail address and the support page are given above.
Mitchell Chapman, “After fire, Berkshire Scenic Railway seeks ‘Christmas miracle’ to save Tinseliner train,” The Berkshire Eagle, published Sunday, October 25, 2026, modified Monday, October 26, 2026, berkshireeagle.com/newsnorthern-berkshires/after-fire-berkshire-scenic-railway-seeks-christmas-miracle-to-save-tinseliner-train/5044622. About 4:30 p.m. at 4 Hoosac Street. Chief David J. Lennon on the heating pad. Adams and Cheshire firefighters. Both cars described as 90-seat, self-propelled cars from the 1950s. About $3,700 of a $100,000 goal as of Monday, October 26. Pumpkin Patch Ride on the undamaged car. North Adams and Adams rides at reduced capacity. Hope for full capacity on November 27, and a lower-capacity run if 6126 is not ready. The two Seiden quotations above are from this story. Eagle photographs were not saved for this draft.
Sabrina Damms, “Berkshire Scenic Railway Races to Restore Burned Train Ahead of Holiday Season,” iBerkshires, October 30, 2026, iberkshires.com/story/84329/Berkshire-Scenic-Railway-Races-to-Restore-Burned-Train-Ahead-of-Holiday-Season.html. Smoke, exterior damage, cracked windows, and a limited interior toll, in Seiden’s account. Insurance investigation, and the fire department belief about drip pads. Two engines on 6126. Restoration begun in 2022. Cape Rail paint and 22 windows deferred. Cost estimates of about $165,000, and the uncertainty about whether insurance will pay for the move to Lenox. The fundraiser link on that page opens the museum support page.

Facebook X Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Messenger

Berkshire Scenic Railway Worked To Replace Burned RDC

The fire at Adams

A second car for November 27

What the appeal is for

Related reading on American-Rails.com

Sources