New Haven & Lake Erie Railroad

Narrow Gauge Railroad

Home of the New Haven Pumpkin Train since 1991

Ride a Real Train!!

Just east of New Haven, Indiana (near Fort Wayne), our train ride is just minutes from the I-469 / US 30 Interchange. We are at the intersection of Ryan and Edgerton Roads just one mile north of Dawkins Road (see map). Take a relaxing 20-minute train ride through a pleasant hardwood forest typical of northern Indiana. You'll ride in hand-made wooden coaches built by the owner and ride behind locomotives built before WWII! Most of the narrow gauge equipment are German or Polish origin (600-mm gauge).

About Our Railroad

Small (600-mm or 2 ft gauge, which are nearly equivalent) narrow gauge railroads were ideal for short distances and rough terrain because of low initial cost and maintenance. Except for Maine and Colorado and a few other states, however, they were rare in the U.S. and by the late 1940s & 50s they had almost disappeared from the U.S. They were still in heavy use in Europe during WWII where the creator, Edward Byer, first encountered them. The appeal of these charming little trains was so great that years later the Byer family decided to build such a railroad in Indiana. Searches for equipment lead to places both distant and near - the 60 year old steam locomotive (Jungenthal 0-4-0T) came from Germany, the Plymouth gasoline locomotive, dump cars & track from Allentown, PA, the double bogey flatcar frames from Poland, and the depot from Craigville, here in Indiana.

Memorial Website Links for Edward and Phyllis Byer, Creators of the NH&LE

The railroad was built by the family over a period of years by the original owners Edward and Phyllis Byer, sons Jonathan & Greg and daughter Cynthia, daughter-in-law Jill, and a few good friends. The coaches were built in our own car shop on the Polish flat car frames. Our 1879 depot was moved 40 miles from Craigville, Indiana and, as a classic example of an 1800s-era, small town depot, was placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Today Greg & Jill Byer are continuing to keep Ed and Phyllis’s fun little railroad going.

New Pumpkin Train Video:

New Haven Pumpkin Train from John Brune on Vimeo.

See Other Movies of NH&LE in Action!!!!!

Thanks for a great 2009 Pumpkin Train, See you next year!

Check Out the Fort Wayne Rail Historical Society’s Santa Train!

The FWRHS is located 1.5 miles east of the NH&LE on Edgerton Road

Go To www.765.org or call 260-493-0765 For More Information

Looking for other pick your own experiences? Check out these websites:

Pick Your Own Farms Pumpkins & Corn Mazes Christmas Trees

E-mail us at:

info@nh-le.com

Revised 11/14/2009