We were in Kentucky for a quick road trip and decided to stop at the Kentucky Railway Museum as a way to beat the heat. Located in New Haven, the old station houses both a gift shop and small museum. Many of the artifacts are from the old L&N line that made stops here. The museum also has a large model railroad but was slightly disappointed by the fact only one train was running in it. They also offer train rides, depending on the day and time of week. We were lucky enough that on this particular Tuesday they were operating. We took a hour long ride, heading south to Gethsemane and back again. The ride was smooth and cool but was generally very slow. We never felt the full power of the engine move us down to the track as we were hoping too. It's a nice ride but possibly not as exciting if you are a true train enthusiast. read more

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We joined the grandkids for The Santa Express. Perhaps our expectations were out of line. We had hoped for a Christmas decorated train chugging through some nifty Christmas lights. The exterior of the train was old, faded paint. The interior had a strand of lights extending the length of each car. And the luggage racks had lots of wrapped boxes. There was no one to lead Christmas carols. No one to give us any history of the woods & fields we chugged through. (one "conductor" told us there was a field where a decisive civil was battle took place). Late on the ride back, Frosty, Santa & Mrs Claus walked the aisles. Some Elves gave the kids a commemorative button. I saw folks dozing off. We were all ready for the ride to end. And we were pleasantly surprised to arrive to "snow". I think the Santa Express has a lot of room to grow. One other thing, don't expect to post much. Cell signal was non-existent. read more

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We had a fantastic time on the Santa Brunch train ride. Took about 30 mins to get to the brunch location- log still event venue- the legacy which was BEAUTIFUL. Food was delicious and so much to eat, coloring, hot cocoa bar Santa stickers and pretzel dipping for the kiddos. Mimosa and Bloody Mary at the pay by glass bar. Santa and Mrs Claus really made an effort to get around and talk to all the kids in the venue and on the train. On the train the train they sang Christmas music. The train was nicely decorated, comfortable and good space. When you arrive back they have a "snow" machine out with little foam balls and the kids just loved it. We missed out on the green room to the right which had photo ops. There's also a museum inside that was small but nice to look at. If looking at the Santa brunch ride, I'd highly recommend!! Such a fun event read more

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Informative place and I was able to buy a discounted train Christmas puzzle which was really nice.

Cool place. We went for a ride just before christmas. They had hot chocolate and cookies served out of a caboose. Also a nice warm waiting area where the kids could draw on tables and a storyteller dressed as Ms. Claus read more

Excellent. Everyone loved in from 78 years old to 8 year old. Characters make it a great time. Love the train, love the characters or love the scenery, something for everyone. Price was excellent!! Can't think of a better way to spend some time and money for a great memory. read more

One could not ask for a more relaxing delightful day with a train ride and museum. Kudos to the incredible staff! They are professional courteous helpful and to say kind does not give them Justice. An amazing staff, place and experience! read more

Both my kids love trains, and I thought his would be a fun thing to go do to break up the monotony that has become our weekends. We took the hour plus drive down from La Grange and ended up catching the train just in time. My wife called ahead and they actually held the train for us! They even reserved us seats so we were ensured a place to sit together. The ride itself is about 1.5 hours, and yeah... there's not a whole lot to look at, but really, you're there to ride the train and not look at the middle of nowhere Kentucky. I felt as though the staff was very nice. I'm not sure who was working when all these other reviewers went, but we felt very welcomed. The depot was pretty neat as it had a little gift shop, and a pretty outstanding model train. One of the better ones I've seen over the years. All in all, it was pretty cool. The ride itself was a bit pricey, and yeah, they need to address that train situation especially if majority of your demographic is kids. Having more train cars to look at would have been nice, too. read more

I recommend if you really like trains. The museum is pretty small but has some interesting information. We took a train ride and it was peaceful, if uneventful. There isn't too much to see outside, and prepare for it to be noisy if there are lots of kids onboard. I think I would have enjoyed the experience more if the company talked about the history of Kentucky trains or included some kind of story to go along as you ride the train. The staff was very friendly and talked to us a little bit as we rode along without being intrusive. It was not my cup of tea, but my family members who really like trains enjoyed it a lot! read more

Kentucky Railway Museum - Museums Near Me - New Haven, Kentucky

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My wife and I went on the afternoon lunch excursion. Our expectations were that we would have a nice scenic train ride and delicious lunch. Neither of those two basic expectations were met. First of all, the scenic part was mostly a tour of people's back yards, rundown sheds and barns, and some glimpses of fields. Then the train stopped and backed up all the to starting point. If you didn't enough views of people's dogs tied to dog houses in their back yards, you got to see them again. The lunch was just not good. We opted for the steak tips which were quite dry with no sauce to moisture. They were served with some kind of potato with cheese that seemed to be cooked the day before and reheated in a microwave. If the view from the train would have reflected the real beauty of that area of Kentucky or the food was outstanding, I could find a reason to recommend this trip. But sadly, I can find no reason to spend nearly $120 (for 2 people) to take this train ride. For that amount of money go someplace decent for dinner or go take your family to see a movie and have change left over. read more

We did the Santa train ride with our five grandsons (youngest 2, oldest 7). They really enjoyed being on the train. The seats were clean and comfortable. The hot chocolate and cookies prior to boarding was nicely done. And having Santa, Mrs Claus, Rudolph, a teddy bear, etc., come by frequently was fun. And the conductor stopped by a lot too. The scenery outside isn't much. But it was fun to arrive back with 'snow' pumped out at the depot. We'd go again! read more

Polar Express train ride is fun for the family. Santa spends quite a bit of time with the kids as does Rudolph and Mrs Clause. There is hot chocolate and cookies before the ride and man made snow out of bubbles at the end. You do need to make reservations very early. I made reservations in September for this Christmas train ride. read more

I reserve seats, and when I got to the train, everyone was told to sit where they wanted the overbooked it was crowded. Five of us had to sit on one bench, so the bench in front of us let us use a little spot on their bench. It was ridiculous to pay that much money, and not have anywhere to sit and not get to sit where I had reserved and that advertise pumpkin patch, someone had picked the pumpkins and laid them out in the grass. That's not a pumpkin patch Vary disappointed. read more

We can only give them a three as we bought tickets online in advance . We stayed the nite before in Horse cave ky zone, just down the road, which was in central time zone , not sure when we passed back into eastern time zone but the train left in eastern time zone. It would have been so helpful had someone added that to the ticket info somewhere! We got there 15 min late. We could have been there earlier if we just known we had crossed into another time zone! And I could have saved myself $56. Not very customer friendly. read more

A decent, small sample of the railroad experience. Note: my review is based on a general visit with a regular train excursion. For a couple bucks more, special excursions for the young and old are planned throughout the year. Generally, kids will enjoy it, but if attention spans are short, you may find yourself wising through the museum in just a few minutes and the train ride may be a bit too long. If you have kids, consider visiting when train excursions geared for kids are available. I enjoyed viewing the railroad memorabilia... especially the working model train sets... very nice. The train excursions run from New Haven, KY (the museum location) to a stop at a general store in Boston, KY. In peak season, they run two trips which opens up the option to board at the general store in Boston. I took advantage of this since Boston is closer to where I live. Basically, everyone in my party road the second leg of the first excursion and bought our tickets at the museum at New Haven. After visiting for a while, we then used those tickets to return to our parked car by catching a ride on the *first* leg of the second excursion of the day. That's how it works. Note: If you begin your visit by boarding the train in Boston: It is a small town. You will park at this small general store. Though the train tracks pass next to this store and cross the main road, the signage was very limited. I parked in the small gravel lot behind the store and for a while I wondered if I was in the right place. It turns out... I was. The old passengers cars used for the excursion are vintage... very cool... and probably enhanced my enjoyment of the ride. The route is pretty much a straight shot without curves. The countryside is pretty, but nothing more than you will see from your car on your way to this place. In short, this is a few notches better than a train ride at an amusement park, but probably several notches less than the experience of catching a ride on Amtrack out west. It's a good sample of the railroad life. I'm glad I visited this place. Though once is probably enough for me, I may return to try out one of the special or themed train excursions. read more

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A group of about twenty of us, ranging in ages from 2-70, went on the North Pole Express (or whatever the night time Santa thing is.) It was $27 whether you're two or fifty years old. We booked the trip online so that we could sit together. However, we were dispersed throughout all of the cars. We rode very slowly down the tracks through, basically, a run down trailer park then stopped in front of a random person's house with a tacky light display and a mounted buck, with a red nose, nailed to a barn window, which was apparently the North Pole that we had all come to see. There were no words spoken to inform us that we were, in fact, experiencing the climax of the trip. Actually, there were no words spoken over the intercom, period. But they did, without explanation, turn off every single light in the train for an unnecessary amount of time, apparently to allow us to take in all of what is the North Pole. After that, we just went backwards the same way we came. At different times during the ride a snowman, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, a reindeer, and a few poorly dressed elves walked down the aisle. That was the only time there was any music or singing (which was not enthusiastic and some of the crew didn't even know the words) and the speaker just played constant static. The best part was the fake snow when we got off the train. Overall, it was very underwhelming and just kinda bizarre. For $5? Maybe. Don't waste your money. read more

Hi! We didn't go yesterday because of the recent tornado. Unfortunately, you don't offer refunds. My son was looking forward for the train ride but unfortunately we missed it. I called to request if they can book us to different dates but they couldn't help us. read more

This place is awesome! The tour was just myself, hubby and our 10 year old and we lucked out and got the director of the museum. To say he was a wealth of information would be a huge understatement. Multiple types and ages of engines and cars were available for viewing. Relaxed pace and get patient with questions and photo ops. It was so cool to get personal stories along with historical facts that really made it come to life. I planned the excursion for hubby and our son. But I loved it myself! read more

Though the staff was super helpful and polite the train ride itself was not all I thought it would be. I thought I would see more lights given we rode at night. Many children were screaming and conditions were not that comfortable on our ride. read more

One of the coolest things to do around here. This is 5 minutes from where I grew up. Thomas the train weekends are always packed and kids love it. You can eat next door at the Sherwood (an old bar/restaurant/hotel). My friends and I all came home for a weekend to do the mystery train and had a blast. It's a little pricey but fun! It includes dinner at the Sherwood and the actors start then! People are picked randomly to participate and be part of the story line. Lots of improv. From there you board the train and the fun continues. As others said you ride to Boston, Ky and back. Plenty of time to ask questions and determine who the killer is! If you like the game Clue and trains, then you'll love this night out. We finished the night out with drinks at the Sherwood before heading home read more

Not worth the money. Trains weren't really decorated, the cart was completely packed and uncomfortable the view was mainly run down homes.. the only good part was the Santa he was awsome. Advertisement pictures were really good looking..but its not what you got read more

Unexpected FAMILY FUN! Don't overlook this option! Wasn't sure how this experience was going to go, but our desire to have a memorable experience with our grandchildren definitely exceeded our expectations! Train ride was longer than I thought and was exciting for them, through the countryside, lots to see and they listened for the train horn at every crossing! Santa and Mrs. Claus were aboard topping off the day! Absolutely recommend for children of all ages! read more

Had a great time with the family and grandkids on the train ride. The kids loved seeing Santa and getting their pictures with him. The men and women that worked the train were great people and made us feel at home. Thank you for helping us make memories , my grand children really needed that magic this year. As did I. read more

Might have been a fun place to visit but it was closed to set up for an event. Being closed isn't a problem but not posting the info is. Signs would have been nice before we drove out of our way to visit. read more

we had such a great time at the whistles, wine and witches! highly recommend for you and your friends to have a fun night out! we will be back for sure! Kim and Brenda both go above and beyond for their guests and it does not go unnoticed!! read more

Well, I do have some experience with other dinner trains and out of the 3 I have experienced this one places 3rd. This dinner train might be a big deal for folks out in the country but it's not really "all that". The cost is decent. The view along the way is not much unless you like looking at trees and weeds along the tracks. The train has no restroom facilities. I say again...THERE IS NOT A RESTROOM ON THE TRAIN. So, how and when do you get to use the restroom? The train makes a stop at the halfway point and you disembark and walk over to a "General Store" and use their facility. So, let's get to the food part since this is a "Dinner Train"...The "chef" announced that she prepared the food yet it was sooo obvious that the food had been prepared beforehand and brought on board who knows how long before the train ride. The food was ok and the ride was ok. That's about it. I gave 3 stars since the other 2 dinner trains I have been on were rated at 4 stars(for 2nd place) and 5 stars for 1st place. read more

Kentucky Railway Museum - "Train Station" - Museums Near Me - New Haven, Kentucky

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North Pole Express was such a disappointment; three years ago our family went on the Polar Express so my expectations were high. I had hoped to have a similar festive experience. It did not happen. Regrettably, I was so excited before coming I had built up everyone's expectations. The hot chocolate was lukewarm, no music until the very end, Mrs. Claus tried to be entertaining, but by that time, I was so disappointed I didn't laugh. Santa and other characters walked through the train cars with little interaction.The North Pole scene was literally one house and large yard decorated which we passed on our trip back to Louisville. The mounted deer head hanging out of the barn and snowblower at the end of the trip did not add to the setting. I can not recommend this train ride. read more

Best restored rail cars we've seen Great tour guide explained the cars Saw the sleeper car ,kitchen and private cars read more

The model trains are cool with neat history. Poor management prevented us from seeing the actual trains so in the end was lame.

Very displeased we were gave one car wrong car on tickets put in the last car it was dirty speaker half way worked it was like a low class would not go on this train ride again we did the polar express for my grand sons not again you get what you pay for not. read more