The inspiration to start Rail Explorers came from a scene in a Korean soap opera. Back in September of 2012, Mary Joy Lu (who started Rail Explorers with her husband Alex Catchpoole) was watching one of her favourite K-Dramas and became intrigued when she saw a strange contraption being pedalled along the railroad tracks. Mary Joy was so excited by this extraordinary looking railbike that within 10 days she was on a plane to South Korea to meet with the designer and manufacturer of the vehicles.
Although pedal powered rail vehicles had existed since the 1850's it wasn't until the early 2000's that recreational use of railbikes was popularised in South Korea, giving new life to abandoned railroads.
Without a clear idea of where they might be able to run their new enterprise, Mary Joy and Alex began building a business model that would bring the experience to the United States for the very first time. It would be 3 years before they sold their first ticket.
On July 3, 2015, Rail Explorers launched operations in New York's Adirondack Mountains in partnership with the Adironadack Scenic Railroad.
The public enthusiasm was immediate: Alex recalled, “It was a shock … we really had no idea that it would take off the way it did. It was really exciting to say – wow, maybe we are on to something!” Similarly, Mary Joy reflected: “After 3 years of dreaming and planning… to finally get to opening day and see the joy Rail Explorers brought to our riders was incredibly rewarding.”
The Adirondack Division welcomed over 30,000 riders before being forced to close at the end of 2016, when NY State began work on a rails-to-trails conversion and the railroad reactivated by Rail Explorers was destroyed.
With no doubt as to the popularity of the activity, Mary Joy and Alex began the search for a new home for the business. They landed in Newport Rhode Island in January of 2017 and the Rail Explorers railbikes began rolling again, this time along the spectacular coast of Narragansett Bay.
Other locations quickly followed and the 'first fleet' of just 7 railbikes has now grown to over 160 railbikes in 6 different states. The original barebones crew of Mary Joy and Alex has grown to over 200 employees.
In October of 2025 Rail Explorers welcomed their 1 millionth rider, who was awarded a lifetime ticket to ride at any Rail Explorers location.
The Rail Explorers team is continuing the search for railroads that can be brought back to life through the joy and excitement of railbike tours.