By Nastassia Putz | May 23, 2024
Spreading holiday cheer along the rails
Holiday trains & Polar Express Train Rides (2024)
Holiday trains & Polar Express Train Rides (2024): It’s never too early to start planning for a magical train ride with family and friends — especially when tickets go on sale during the spring and summer for some venues.
Purchasing a ticket for a holiday ride on a passenger train is a wonderful treat for anyone. The youngsters — and the young at heart, especially — like to gather on a cold, wintry day for a comfy, cozy experience that sparks wonderment in the eyes of all whom truly believe.
Depending on what you’re looking for this 2024 season, there are many different types of holiday trains to choose from. Some where you can meet Santa, visit the “North Pole,” sip hot chocolate or wine in a beautifully decorated vintage passenger car, or, for one magical night, be fully immersed in the classic children’s book, Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Whatever your choice may be, here is a list of the 2023 Polar Express and holiday trains by location.
ALABAMA
- Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum (Calera), hodrrm.org
- North Alabama Railroad Museum (Huntsville), www.narm.info
ARIZONA
- Grand Canyon (Williams), thetrain.com (Polar Express & Ultimate Polar Express Nov. 1 to Dec. 30 — on sale now)
ARKANSAS
- Arkansas & Missouri (Springdale), amrailroad.com
CALIFORNIA
- California State Railroad Museum (Sacramento), csrmf.org (Polar Express — TBD)
- Irvine Park Railroad (Orange), irvineparkrailroad.com
- Napa Valley Wine Train (Napa), winetrain.com
- Niles Canyon Railway (Sunol), ncry.org
- Pacific Southwest Railway Museum (Campo), www.psrm.org
- Railtown 1897 State Park (Jamestown), railtown1897.org (Polar Express — TBD)
- Roaring Camp Railroads (Felton), roaringcamp.com
- River Fox Train (West Sacramento), riverfoxtrain.com
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Santa Cruz), beachboardwalk.com/holiday-train-rides/
- Sierra Northern Railway (Ventura County), www.sunbursttrain.com/spirit-of-the-holidays
- Southern California Railway Museum (Perris), socalrailway.org (Polar Express — TBD)
- Skunk Train (Willits), skunktrain.com
- Western Pacific Railroad Museum (Portola), wplives.org
COLORADO
- Colorado Railroad Museum (Golden), coloradorailroadmuseum.org (Polar Express — on sale Aug. 2024)
- Durango & Silverton (Durango), durangotrain.com (Polar Express Nov. 22 to Jan. 1 — on sale now)
- Georgetown Loop (Georgetown), georgetownlooprr.com
- Royal Gorge Route (Canon City), royalgorgeroute.com
CONNECTICUT
- Essex Steam Train & Riverboat (Essex), essexsteamtrain.com
- Railroad Museum of New England (Thomaston), rmne.org
- Shore Line Trolley Museum (East Haven), shorelinetrolley.com
DELAWARE
- Wilmington & Western (Wilmington), wwrr.com
FLORIDA
- Florida Railroad Museum (Parrish), frrm.org
- Miami on Brightline (Miami), miamithepolarexpressride.com (Polar Express — TBD)
- Seminole Gulf Railway (Fort Myers), semgulf.com
GEORGIA
- SAM Shortline Train (Cordele), samshortline.com
- Blue Ridge Scenic Railway (Blue Ridge), brscenic.com
ILLINOIS
- Chicago Union Station (Chicago) chicagounionstation.com (Polar Express — TBD)
- Fox River Trolley Museum (South Elgin), foxtrolley.org (Polar Express — on sale June 1, 2024)
- Illinois Railroad Museum (Union), irm.org
- Monticello Railway Museum (Monticello), mrym.org (Polar Express — TBD, on sale Sept. 7, 2024)
INDIANA
- French Lick Scenic (French Lick), frenchlickscenicrailway.org (Polar Express Nov. 1 to Dec. 23 — on sale now)
- Hesston Steam Museum (Hesston), hesston.org
- Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum (North Judson), hoosiervalley.org
- Nickel Plate Express (Noblesville), nickelplateexpress.com
- Whitewater Valley Railroad (Connersville), whitewatervalleyrr.org (Polar Express Nov. 15 to Dec. 21 — on sale now)
IOWA
- Boone & Scenic Valley (Boone), scenic-valleyrr.com
- Midwest Central (Mount Pleasant), www.mcrr.org
KANSAS
- Abilene & Smoky Valley (Abilene), asvrr.org
KENTUCKY
- Big South Fork Scenic Railway (Stearns), bsfsry.com (Polar Express Nov. 15 to Dec. 23 — on sale now)
- Bluegrass Scenic Railroad (Versailles), bgrm.org
- Kentucky Railway Museum (New Haven), kyrail.org
- My Old Kentucky Dinner Train (Bardstown), kydinnertrain.com
MAINE
- Maine Narrow Guage Railroad (Portland), mainenarrowgauge.org (Polar Express — TBD)
- Seashore Trolley Museum (Kennebunkport), trolleymuseum.org
- Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington (Alna), wwfry.org
MARYLAND
- B&O Railroad Museum (Baltimore), borail.org (Polar Express — on sale July 20, 2024) (Christmas in July on July 20/21, 2024)
- Walkersville Southern (Walkersville), wsrr.org
- Western Maryland Scenic (Cumberland), wmsr.com (Polar Express Dec. 8 to 17 — on sale in July)
MASSACHUSETTS
- Cape Cod Central (Hyannis), capetrain.com (Polar Express — TBD)
- Edaville (Carver), edaville.com (Christmas in July)
MICHIGAN
- Coopersville & Marne (Coopersville), mitrain.net
- Little River Railroad (Coldwater), littleriverrailroad.com
- Southern Michigan Railroad Society (Clinton), southernmichiganrailroad.com
- Steam Railroading Institute (Owosso), michigansteamtrain.com
MINNESOTA
- Minnesota Streetcar Museum (Minneapolis), trolleyride.org
- North Shore Scenic (Duluth), northshorescenicrailroad.org
MISSOURI
- Branson Scenic (Branson), bransontrain.com (Polar Express Nov. 1 to Dec. 23 — on sale now)
- St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern ( Jackson), slimrr.com
- St. Louis Union Station (St. Louis), stlouisunionstation.com (Polar Express — TBD)
MONTANA
- Charlie Russell Chew Choo (Lewistown), montanadinnertrain.com
NEVADA
- Nevada Northern (Ely), nnry.com
- Nevada State Railroad Museum (Carson City), carsonrailroadmuseum.org
- Nevada State Railroad Museum (Boulder City), boulderrailroadmuseum.org
- Virginia & Truckee (Virginia City), virginiatruckee.com
- V&T Railway Commission (Carson City), vtrailway.com (Polar Express — on sale in fall 2024)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
- Conway Scenic Railway (North Conway), journeytothenorthpole.org
- Hobo Railroad (Lincoln), santatrains.com
- Mount Washington Cog Railway (Bretton Woods), thecog.com
NEW JERSEY
- Black River & Western (Flemington), newjerseytrain.org
- Delaware River Railroad Excursions (Phillipsburg), 877trainride.com (Polar Express — TBD)
- Morristown & Erie (Whippany), whippanyrailwaymuseum.net (Polar Express — TBD)
NEW YORK
- Adirondack Railroad (Utica), adirondackrr.com (Polar Express Nov. 15 to Dec. 22 — on sale now)
- Arcade & Attica (Arcade), aarailroad.com
- Catskill Mountain Railroad (Kingston) catskillmountainrailroad.com (Polar Express Nov. 15 to Dec. 29 — on sale now)
- Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley (Milford), lrhs.com
- Medina Railroad Museum (Medina), medinarailroadmuseum.org (Polar Express — TBD)
- North Folk Trolley Co. (Riverhead), norfolktrolley.com (Polar Express — TBD)
- Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway (Corinth), corinthtrain.com
NORTH CAROLINA
- Great Smoky Mountains (Bryson City), gsmr.com (Polar Express Nov. 7 to Dec. 31 — on sale now)
- New Hope Valley Railway (New Hill), triangletrain.com
- North Carolina Transportation Museum (Spencer), nctrans.org (Polar Express Nov. 8 to Dec. 23 — on sale June 6, 2024)
OHIO
- Cuyahoga Valley Scenic (Akron), cvsr.com
- Dennison Railroad Depot Museum (Dennison), dennisondepot.org (Polar Express Dec. 5 to 15 — on sale Aug. 6, 2024)
- Hocking Valley Scenic (Nelsonville), hvsry.org
- Lebanon Mason Monroe (Lebanon), lebanonrr.com
- Orrville Railroad (Orrville), orrvillerailroad.com
OKLAHOMA
- Oklahoma Railway Museum (Oklahoma City), oklahomarailwaymuseum.org (Polar Express — TBD)
OREGON
- Mount Hood (Hood River), www.mthoodrr.com
- Oregon Coast Scenic (Garibaldi), oregoncoastscenic.org
- Sumpter Valley (Sumpter), sumptervalleyrailroad.org
PENNSYLVANIA
- Colebrookdale Railroad (Boyertown), colebrookdalerailroad.com
- East Broad Top (Rockhill Furnace), eastbroadtop.com
- Everett Railroad (Hollidaysburg), everettrailroad.com
- Hew Hope & Ivyland (New Hope), newhoperailroad.com
- Lehigh Gorge Scenic (Jim Thorpe), lgsry.com
- Middletown & Hummelstown (Middletown), mhrailroad.com
- North Central Railway of York (New Freedom), northerncentralrailway.com
- Oil Creek & Titusville (Titusville), octrr.org , also has Christmas in July
- Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (Washington), pa-trolley.org
- Rockhill Trolley Museum (Rockhill Furnace), rockhilltrolley.org
- Stourbridge Line (Honesdale), www.thestourbridgeline.net
- Strasburg Rail Road (Strasburg), strasburgrailroad.com
- Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern (Kempton), kemptontrain.com
- West Chester Railroad (West Chester), westchesterrr.net
RHODE ISLAND
- Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (Woonsocket), blackstonevalleypolarexpress.com (Polar Express — TBD)
SOUTH CAROLINA
- South Carolina Railroad Museum (Winnsboro), scrm.org
SOUTH DAKOTA
- Black Hills Central (Hill City), www.1880train.com
TENNESSEE
- Tennessee Central Railway Museum (Nashville), tcry.org
- Tennessee Valley (Chattanooga), tvrail.com
- Three Rivers Rambler (Knoxville), threeriversrambler.com
TEXAS
- Austin Steam Train (Cedar Park), austinsteamtrain.org
- Galveston Railroad Museum (Galveston), galvestonrrmuseum.org (Polar Express Nov. 8 to Dec. 23 — on sale Aug. 1, 2024)
- Grapevine Vintage Railroad (Grapevine), grapevinetexasusa.com
- Historic Jefferson Railway (Jefferson), jeffersonrailway.com
- Texas State Railroad (Palestine), texasstaterailroad.net
- Texas Transportation Museum (San Antonio), txtransportationmuseum.org
UTAH
- Heber Valley Railroad (Heber Valley), hebervalleyrr.org
VERMONT
- Freight House (Lyndonville), thelyndonfreighthouse.com
- Manchester Vermont Lions Club (Manchester), manchesterlionselftrain.com
- Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation (Burlington), vtchildrenstrust.org (Polar Express Dec. 7/8, 2024)
- White River Rotary Club (White River Junction), whiteriverrotaryusa.org (Polar Express — TBD)
VIRGINIA
- Old Dominion Chapter NRHS (Dillwyn), odcnrhs.org
- Virginia Railway Express, vre.org
WASHINGTON
- Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum (Chehalis), steamtrainride.com (Polar Express — TBD)
- Northwest Railroad Museum (Snoqualmie), trainmuseum.org
- Yakima Valley Trolleys (Yakima), yakimavalleytrolleys.org
- Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (Elbe), mtrainierrailroad.com (Polar Express Nov. 22 to Dec. 23 — on sale Sept. 1, 2024)
WEST VIRGINIA
- Durbin & Greenbrier (Elkins), mtn-rail.com
WISCONSIN
- East Troy Electric Railroad (East Troy), easttroyrr.org
- Mid-Continent Railway Museum (North Freedom), midcontinent.org
- National Railroad Museum (Green Bay), nationalrrmuseum.org (Polar Express Nov. 22 to Dec. 15 — on sale July 27, 2024)
- Wisconsin Great Northern (Spooner), spoonertrainride.com
MULTIPLE STATES
- Canadian Pacific Kansas City Holiday Train, cpkcr.com
- CSX Transportation Santa Train, www.csx.com
CANADA
- Alberta Prairie Railway (Stettler, AB), absteamtrain.com (Polar Express — TBD)
- Aspen Crossing (Mossleigh, AB), aspencrossing.com (Christmas in July — July 26)
Interested in learning a bit more about the Polar Express… check out this online article, “Behind the scenes of Polar Express,” or the more in-depth print version in Trains’ December 2023 issue!
