The popular Greenport Express Miniature Railroad will chug back onto the tracks this weekend after an engine failure cut short its 2025 season.

The mini train was sent to a shop in Pennsylvania, which rebuilt the failed engine. The engine runs on a Wisconsin motor that has been out of production since the 1970s, making parts and expertise difficult to find.

“The engine was sent out and was totally rebuilt and placed back in the train,” Greenport Rotary treasurer Richard Israel told The Suffolk Times. “We should have no more issues.” 

Mr. Israel declined to provide financial details on how much the repairs cost.

The train has been running since the mid-1980s and has become a village tradition for the children who ride it.

“It’s very beloved by the locals because it represents their history,” said Arlene Klein, Greenport Rotary’s public relations and program chair. “It’s fun, and you wait all year for it to open. It has gone through many generations.” 

Frank Field, a Long Island Rail Road engineer who moved to Greenport in the 1970s, built the first mini-railroad behind his Webb Street home. From 1985 to 2012, he offered free rides to local children on Sundays.

When Mr. Field retired, he approached the Greenport Rotary in hopes of keeping the tradition alive. The revived train, nicknamed the “Joe Cherry Choo Choo,” honors late Rotarian Joe Cherepowich, who led the initial campaign to relocate the train and died in 2019.

The train is now located on village-owned property on Moores Lane next to the Greenport Skate Park, after the Rotary and village officials explored several possible locations, including Mitchell Park and the area near the North Ferry terminal.

“We’ve built a quarter-mile track that goes through Moore’s Woods, and it’s a scenic little place,” Mr. Israel said.

The Greenport Express will run every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with rides offered every 15 minutes. The cost is $6.

Its reopening coincides with the 10th annual North Fork Dog Dock Diving event on June 6 and 7, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Polo Grounds in Greenport.

“We want it to be part of the community,” Mr. Israel said. “We provide a unique experience and this year; the Rotary Club is going to assist the village. We’re going to be ambassadors who will help tell the story to the people that visit. We’re hoping that the ridership will increase, people will enjoy it and it will become the core and commonplace of why people come out to Greenport.” 

Other Rotary events and fundraisers are also set to return this year, including the Greenport/Southold Rotary Lobsterfest on July 25; the Greenport/Southold Rotary Golf Classic on Sept. 2; and the group’s Halloween event for all ages.

The post Greenport Express to reopen after Rotary-funded engine rebuild appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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