Chicagoland and Midwest Santa Claus/North Pole/Holiday Trains
One of the more interesting developments in the railroad and heritage railroad industry over the past couple decades has been the large number of special Santa Claus/North Pole/Holiday Trains that operate in November and December. Kids of all ages can enjoy riding or watching special trains throughout our area, bringing the holiday spirit to the local communities.
These events come in several variations: most are rides, many are fundraisers for non-profits and charities. All of these events have proven to be very popular -- most of these trips sell out months in advance. We have left out dates as there are too many to list as they range from one-time events to multiple weekends. Click on the links below to find out more about a special holiday train near you. |
For brevity, we have listed events that are in the Chicagoland area, or within a day or two's drive. For a list covering the 48 contiguous states, Trains magazine has assembled a state-by-state list of Holiday trains & Polar Express rides (2023) .
There also may be employee-only events sponsored by local railroads. Details of these events are rarely public, but we will try to release them if we come across any.
After the Winter holiday season ends, many museums and heritage railroads also offer other themed rides for other holidays throughout the year: Easter Bunny, Pumpkin Trains, Ghost Trains, and, of course, visits from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....all of which are are extremely popular with families. Although outside the scope of this page, we invite you to contact your local museums and heritage railroads to find out what they offer and when.
Is there a Santa Claus/North Pole/Holiday Train that we left out? Have you found a broken link? Please contact us.
There also may be employee-only events sponsored by local railroads. Details of these events are rarely public, but we will try to release them if we come across any.
After the Winter holiday season ends, many museums and heritage railroads also offer other themed rides for other holidays throughout the year: Easter Bunny, Pumpkin Trains, Ghost Trains, and, of course, visits from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....all of which are are extremely popular with families. Although outside the scope of this page, we invite you to contact your local museums and heritage railroads to find out what they offer and when.
Is there a Santa Claus/North Pole/Holiday Train that we left out? Have you found a broken link? Please contact us.
We will periodically update this page, to the best of our ability, with the latest information.
Note that the Blackhawk Railway Historical Society is not responsible for these events, including problems with their websites, cancellations, delays, and equipment substitutions. We are posting this for informative purposes only.
We strongly suggest you personally contact the event operator to verify if they are running and if there are tickets available, as some events are already sold out.
Note that the Blackhawk Railway Historical Society is not responsible for these events, including problems with their websites, cancellations, delays, and equipment substitutions. We are posting this for informative purposes only.
We strongly suggest you personally contact the event operator to verify if they are running and if there are tickets available, as some events are already sold out.
This page last updated November 17, 2023
- CPKC U.S. Holiday Train - various stops in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin
"Holiday Train" gathering donations for local food pantries
Holiday Train (cpkcr.com)
2023-US-Holiday-Train-Schedule.pdf (cpkcr.com)
- Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago, Illinois
"Allstate CTA Holiday Train"
CTA Holiday Train & Bus - CTA (transitchicago.com) - Chicago Union Station/Amtrak - Chicago, Illinois
"The Polar Express"
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride | Chicago, IL | The Magic Returns (chicagothepolarexpressride.com)
Selling tickets after cancelling in 2022 - Coopersville & Marne - Coopersville, Michigan
"Michigan Santa Train Ride"
Michigan Santa Train Ride | Friends of Coopersville and Marne Railway (mitrain.net) - Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad - Flint, Michigan
"Christmas at Crossroads Holiday Magic"
Christmas Holiday Magic - Genesee County Parks - East Troy Electric Railroad - East Troy, Wisconsin
"Christmas Train"
Christmas Train (easttroyrr.org) - Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society - New Haven (Fort Wayne), Indiana
"Christmas Caboose"
Christmas Caboose - Departing New Haven, Indiana | Indiana Rail Experience - Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society - Pleasant Lake, Indiana
"Indiana Christmas Train"
Indiana Christmas Train – Departing Pleasant Lake, Indiana | Indiana Rail Experience - Fox River Trolley Museum - South Elgin, Illinois (between Elgin and St. Charles, Illinois)
"The Polar Express"
Fox River Trolley Museum - Polar Express (foxtrolley.org) - Friends of the 261 (Railroading Heritage of Midwest America) - St. Paul, Minnesota
"North Pole Express"
North Pole Express | Friends of the 261 - Hesston Steam Museum - Hesston, Indiana (between Michigan City, Indiana and New Buffalo, Michigan)
"Santa's Candy Cane Express"
Plan Your Visit / Calendar (hesston.org) - Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum - North Judson, Indiana (southeast of Valparaiso, Indiana)
"Santa Trains"
Santa Trains :: Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
- Illinois Railway Museum - Union, Illinois (northwest suburban McHenry County)
"Happy Holiday Railway"
Happy Holiday Railway at the Illinois Railway Museum (irm.org) - Indiana Rail Road - various stops in south-central Indiana and Illinois
"Santa Train"
Get into the spirit of the season... - The Indiana Rail Road Company | Facebook - Little River Railroad - Coldwater, Michigan (far southern Michigan, just north of the northeast corner of Indiana)
"Holiday Express"
Special Events - Little River Railroad - Metra (Chicago Commuter Rail) - multiple suburban Chicago locations
"Holiday Trains"
2023 Holiday Trains | Metra
2023 event SOLD OUT
- Metra (Chicago Commuter Rail) - multiple suburban Chicago locations
"Decorated Metra Trains"
The holiday spirit will begin riding the rails across Chicagoland starting Friday, Nov. 17 as Metra debuts decorated trains that will operate in regular service across its system.
Decorated Metra trains debut this season | Metra - Mid-Continent Railway Museum - North Freedom, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Dells area)
"Santa Express"
Santa Express - Mid-Continent Railway Museum (midcontinent.org) - Monticello Railway Museum - Monticello, Illinois (between Champaign and Decatur, Illinois)
"The Polar Express"
Polar Express — Monticello Railway Museum (mrym.org)
"Lunch with Santa on the Train"
Lunch with Santa — Monticello Railway Museum (mrym.org) - National Railroad Museum - Green Bay, Wisconsin
"The Polar Express"
The Polar Express Train Ride - National Railroad Museum (nationalrrmuseum.org) - Nickel Plate Express - Noblesville, Indiana
"Reindeer Express" (for families) > Reindeer Express in Noblesville, IN | Nickel Plate Express
"Holiday Cheers" (adult-only) > Holiday Cheers in Noblesville, IN | Nickel Plate Express - St. Louis Union Station - St. Louis, Missouri
"The Polar Express" > St. Louis Polar Express | Christmas Train in St. Louis (stlpolarexpressride.com) - Steam Locomotive Heritage Association's Soo Line #1003 - Hartford, WI
See Santa along with their 1913-built steam locomotive on Saturday, November 11, the day before their nearly sold-out Sunday, November 12 Photo Charter sponsored by Steel Highway
Steam Locomotive Heritage Association | Operator of the Soo Line 1003
- Steam Railroading Institute - Owosso, Michigan (between Lansing and Flint, Michigan)
"North Pole Express"
North Pole Express – Steam Railroading Institute (michigansteamtrain.com)
2023 event SOLD OUT, but is expected to be hauled by Pere Marquette #1225 - Whitewater Valley Rail Road - Connersville-Metamora, Indiana
(halfway between Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio)
"Santa Claus Limited" and "The Polar Express"
White Water Rail Road (whitewatervalleyrr.org) - Wisconsin Great Northern - Spooner Wisconsin
"Santa Pizza Train"
Santa Train in Wisconsin | Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad (spoonertrainride.com)