Delaware River Railroad Excursions

Attended the Thomas the Train event here and also went on one of their mining train trips. Both times I was disappointed. When Thomas is in town the town is a little more alive but when we went on a random weekend for the mining train it was a ghost town. Don’t plan to stay in the area to eat because there is nothing there. If walking is an issue for you skip this place. We needed to park at the top of a pretty steep hill and walk down to the train. For Thomas they do everything in July and the train has no a/​c. The day we went it was so humid. We didn’t even stay for the activities they had in the tents. I think they have a lot of potential but there needs to be a lot done.

NOT ADVISED FOR SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS. The Polar Express seems like a fabulous idea in THEORY, especially for kids who are huge fans of the film. That said, the train platform is unbelievably loud. Waiting for that train to arrive, therefore, is an issue for kids with sensory problems. Add in the cold, dark, and the unhelpful staff, and it’s not a great combination. Wish I’d read reviews first.
If you MUST do this, arrive early to ensure parking and don’t bother with upstairs seating. The great majority of entertainment is down below.
Props to the entertainers — I WILL give them that. They do their best to make those kids smile.

Regarding the Polar Express, I was sadly disappointed. Mostly a long ride punctuated by a few activities. It certainly didn’t live up to the hype.

Do not choose the upstairs. Seriously unhappy. All the performers are downstairs. Santa doesn’t come up and you cannot see out the windows

We did the wine tour on the train. It was unique and fun, but not something I’d go running back to again. The train doesn’t go all the way to the winery yet so you have to take a cheese bus the rest of the way. And then you don’t really get to spend all that much free time at the winery because the cheese bus has to start its way back to catch the train. I would say this is probably a much cooler thing to do if you have kids, especially kids that have a thing for trains. They do a Polar Express ride during the holidays which sounds awesome, but apparently sold out immediately.

This whole thing was so utterly terrible, I literally buckled over laughing two minutes into our ride, while my girlfriend screamed «It’s not funny!» I just didn’t know what else to do. My money was already gone, and if it happened to someone else, I’d think it was pretty funny.
So, they hype this up like it’s some kind of 19^th century throwback to when train travel was novel and opulent, but instead it feels like taking public transportation in a developing country. There’s a real steam engine pulling these cars, but that’s about where the romance ends. The passenger cars aren’t historic, they’re just old, probably from the late 1960s, if I had to guess. The inside looks like a school bus, and it’s dingy and dirty, to boot. The rear car is reserved for the wine tour, and is differentiated solely by the presence of a (filthy) carpet and the absence of children.
Those expecting a nice ride to the winery might be disappointed to find that it drops you off about 4 minutes into the trip to board a school bus, which is what actually takes you to the winery. If you get off for any of the «activities,» you won’t be able to come back for an hour and a half. As a result, we did not bother to do any of these, and can’t speak to their quality.
The ride goes along the river. There are some nice glimpses of the water gap, but the train mostly goes past white trash back yards and uninteresting industrial complexes and then eventually stops and retraces the exact same route, going in reverse. A short loop of ragtime piano music blares from a tinny speaker and eats into the back of your brain throughout the course of the hour-​long trip. At the end we stopped along the side of the track for a «pumpkin patch», which was just a bunch of small pumpkins lying on hay bales next to a rock wall.
The ride might be moderately amusing for children, but probably no more than riding NJ Transit, which can likely take you to more interesting destinations at a lower price.

Came by for the warren county winery train tour. If I had known it would be a 2 mile ride to be dumped on the side of the road so a school bus could pick us up, I would definitely not have done it. Feels like a bait and switch. The Villa Milagro winery, however, was great.

We rode the train twice so far, once for the polar express and recently for the corn maze ride. Both times the experience was spectacular. We rode the polar express at night so we missed most of the scenery. But we rode the corn maze train during the day and the gentle rolling of the cars drawn by the stream locomotive is very calming.
GPS directions were spot on and there was a sign pointing to the parking lot for the train ride. Picking up tickets at the will call was a breeze. We picked up a few slices at the nearby pizzeria and ate before we got on the train.
This place is about 1:15 from my house so I always make sure I have plenty of time to get there, park, collect tickets and get on the train. Especially the polar express train, which pretty much gets sold out on the first day.
The stream locomotive requires 2 hours of maintenance for every hour it runs! Imagine all the hard work volunteers put in to just keep the train running. The cars are also old and I don’t think it would support air-​conditioning. That would not be possible without compromising on the aesthetics of these vintage cars. The gift shop was reasonably priced (all sodas and water was $ 1! How can you beat that).
All the volunteers were very friendly and very much into trains.
Overall, a great experience if you are into appreciating the hard life our forefathers had. If you want creature comforts, go on a nice day or skip the train altogether. :-)

We did the steam engine train ride today. It was nice and I’m glad we did it. The volunteers were helpful and friendly. There’s not much to it though and luckily the train was almost empty, because after you get half way the train stops and goes backward to the starting point !!! We were able to change seats to benches that face the other way but if it was crowded it could get annoying. It’s worth going but I would recommend passing on the big event weekends and go when it’s less crowded.

Ok… firsr of all this was a nice little getaway. My husband took me for the wine tour at Villa Millagro, which small, but we like those types of things. The train is old, but that’s the point the history lesson is the point. The volunteers are great.
The parking sucks, we almost missed the train because we aren’t from or anywhere near here the fact that its behind a back street and no sign we were driving in circles for 10 minutes. So please get a sign of some sort. I get how the money isn’t there, if anyone travels and is on a schedule this would be bad to miss your scheduled departure.
All in all great morning/​afternoon.
Btw the wine was good. I purchased the Delicado

An easter train ride with the Easter Bunny along the scenic Delaware river. Sounds like a great time for families with little ones. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be any further than the truth. First, the parking situation is horrendous. I was fortunate to arrive a little earlier so this wasn’t a huge inconvenience, but I forsee it being a problem if you are not there at least 30 minutes prior to departure. We then bought our tickets and walked down to where you get on the train. As of now, the adventure ahead looked promising. It wasn’t until we boarded the train that we knew it was most likely not going to be a spectacular experience. The trains are old and dirty and the aisles are tight for the amount of people. It was also about 75 and the trains are not air conditioned and only a few windows open, leaving the train stuffy and uncomfortable. The train ride itself is not very scenic. It goes in a straight line there and back. There is some water but for the most part you are traveling through people’s backyards. Then you stop for an easter egg hunt where you can collect 4 easter eggs. The eggs have the cheapest prizes one can find in them. (Plastic frogs, tattoos, gold coins, etc.) My son seemed excited at 1^st but you could tell that he was not really thrilled. The tickets themselves are 17 for adults and 10 for kids, which is a rip off for what you actually get. Also, there is a juggler and a banjo player which is a nice touch but from what I gathered they are volunteers. Which makes me even angrier that they charge what they charge for this Easter train ride of disappointments!

Wow the reviews are kind of brutal I see but thankfully me and the family had a different experience. There were plenty of shuttles, everyone was friendly and we all got hot chocolate and a cookie. (And a sleigh bell with «2013» engraved in it which is a nice little memento for the kids.)
Mother Nature ended up helping out with a snow storm that was just enough to make the train ride absolutely stunning and add to the «Christmas-​ness» of our Polar Express ride. (And more than a few of the houses on the train route actually decorated the back of their houses which is what we saw as we were coming back at nightfall and that was a nice touch as well.)
This was the first time my kids (just turned 5) actually had an encounter with Santa (minus having their picture with one when they were only a month old) so it was a big deal (even if they were first debating if he was the real Santa when he first walked past us) and I think it had a big impact on them. And like a lot of kid-​related adventures — you look around and it’s the parents that seem much more excited and into it than the kids.
The major gripe for me (besides that if you sat at the window-​seat it was just a touch too cold) was that it felt like a short story that was padded to make into a novel… there were some long gaps where nothing was happening and I could see my kids starting to waver and lose interest. But the fact that it wasn’t all that expensive (an easy $ 100 less for a family of 4 than other outings we’ve done) and that everyone was a volunteer (a talented juggler, the first hobo with a guitar doing Christmas songs, a jolly St. Nick) makes me say: 4.5 stars.
As long as nobody tips off my kids that there isn’t a Santa Claus in the next 12 months — we’ll definitely be back next year as well.

Been there, done that, not going back.
As parents of 2 year olds, we are constantly looking for relatively inexpensive ways of keeping them entertained, excited, and tire themselves out via activities through the day so we get to sleep soundly at night.
We are thankful for the East Coast having a bunch of places that are just awesome. Please Touch Museum and Crayola Experience are two in Pennsylvania that I would love to return to any day. They meet all our requirements — captivate the kids, give them enough variety to hold on to their attention, and tire them out without being excruciating. Adding to that, the two places mentioned are also pretty enjoyable to us as adults.
Unfortunately the Delaware River Railroad — at least the Thomas and Friends train ride we went for — is a far cry. Especially so if you are heading out on a hot summer day.
We went for the Thomas and Friends ride on a day with close to 100 degree heat. The parking was non intuitive, in spite of emailed links with some directions to the parking lot. The expectations on the ride were not set right — I feel we did not have a clear idea of what we were paying for, what was free, and what exactly is the activity about.
If I were to sum up the entire paid-​for experience — it’s a ride back into the 1970’s in a developing country. Old train coaches with a handful of fans and a sweltering heat. General retro feel that I don’t care about. Uncomfortable seats and ugly windows. Kids squirming through the entire 20 minute ride and sweating profusely. Two minutes into the ride we were waiting for the end.
For the price we paid — NJ Transit or Long Island Railroad — the general daily commuter options — offers a better experience.
In retrospective, there are several things that could have set our expectations right.
For a start, there should be a timeline of what to expect. Here’s my attempt at this.
00:00 — You are in the neighborhood, still in your car
00:30 — You park half a mile down the road, and take a shuttle back to the main area. Depends on the frequency of the shuttle and where you parked.
00:45 — walk through the county fair-​esque setup on the main parking lot (closed to traffic), get your tickets from the will call, and head down the steep walkway
01:15 — the last half hour went checking out the miniature petting zoo and concession stands in the lower area, and you are now in line for the Thomas Train
01:30 — Thomas Train arrives from its previous round. It’s pretty charming to look at from the outside — big cheery blue engine with eyes going round and white smoke and what not
01:45 — The line moves slowly — you get your picture taken in front of Thomas the engine and spend some time around the rear carnival stands. Maybe catch a show in the hay theater
You board the train. It’s been 2 hours since you are here in the hot sun. You are desperately hoping the day to turn for the better
02:00 — The train departs. Took us seconds to realize this was it — train cars from decades back without any semblance of air conditioning and a ride where the kids were too hot to even care to look outside the window
02:20 — you come back to the station. Close to twenty bucks per ticket went down the drain — or down the train.
03:30 — the last 70 minutes were spent in the cool shade of the huge tents with various table activities for kids. The tent has a number (12+) of train based play tables, Lego block set tables, face painting and other paint areas for larger kids. This was the best part of the area in my opinion, and it is free.
04:00 — you get up to the upper lot, pony up for your souvenir picture, take the shuttle bus to your parking lot, get in the car, crank up the AC, and DRIVE AWAY.
If the management wants repeat visitors — specially on super hot days of summer — they should advertise more about the many free activities — the carnival areas on the upper and lower levels, the petting zoo, and the open play tent with the railroad play tables were great kid attractors.
They should also have more water sprinklers or such to just cool people down.
Finally, to set expectations right, you should realize that the Thomas Train looks like a Thomas Train only from the outside, when you see the big blue engine and the white smoke and the charming obsolescence.
From the inside, it’s just a a trip to bygone years of no ACs and no breeze and rickety trains no one — especially kids — care about.
If all you wanted was to visit the play areas and look at the train from the outside, you do not need to buy any tickets.

I want to start out with the positives. This is a beautiful train and all of this is run by volunteers. I love having the chance for my kids to experience things like this so we try to support anything like this when we can. The people working there are for the most part, very helpful and friendly. We have been on other «Polar Express» trains (namely the one in New Hope) and I’m using this as a basis of comparison. The trains are nicely decorated with Christmas lights, the excitement of the kids is exciting for everyone to see, the people singing on the train were fun along with the juggler and Santa was quite nice to all of the kids and took pictures with each one. The cost of the tickets are less than the New Hope train. I think in general, most families will have a fun day out on this excursion and I hope people do so that they will continue to run in the future.
That being said, there were some things that will make me stick with New Hope’s version of the Polar Express! Most of the differences were fairly minor, but they stood out enough to make me prefer one over the other. The train was chaotic, almost maniacal at times. The cars were PACKED and the noise level was insane. Again, I’ve been on other crowded Polar Express trains, doing the same activities, but something about this train just made all the adults want to run from it by the end! It was SO, SO hot on the train and none of the windows opened. That alone made some of us feel overwhelmed and overheated. Babyish though it may be, it was kind of a let-​down that only the kids got hot chocolate and cookies. On the NH train, everyone gets them and somehow that just lifts everyone’s moods, young and old alike. The cup of hot cocoa the kids were given was barely warm (fine, since most are little and they can’t have it too hot anyway) but it’s also filled only half-​way up. Believe me, the kids noticed. :) They had some extra cups at the end of the car and started letting some adults have them. A woman passed them out to some grown ups randomly and she was passing my brother so he asked if he could have one and she handed one to him and barked «Pajamas next time!!!». (Many kids wear their jammies and a few adults). What made that worse than just being rude, was that she gave cups to other adults that were not wearing pajamas. Weird… but rude! I know it’s a fun train ride, and you would think that length would be a positive. But overall, this train ride was just too long for the age group it had aboard. The trip outward was a bit over an hour and it was about 45 minutes back. There just came a point where all the kids were restless and the parents were quite ready to get back as well.
I had read reviews of both this train ride and New Hope’s and many people said this one was so much better because it was more scenic and the ride itself was more enjoyable. I have to disagree, at least for this ride. We took the 4 pm ride so we could see some scenery but also get the magical feeling of nighttime on the train with the lights. So perhaps I missed something on the latter half of the ride. Yes, the train follows the Delaware River on one side… but the other side was the backs of houses and people’s yards, just like New Hope. And unlike NH, many spots along the way looked litter filled and we even a make-​shift camping spot for who knows… but it just wasn’t anything to write home about. I know the train company can’t account for everything along the way, and it’s not their fault, but it just wasn’t any nicer the other view.
Again, overall it was a nice ride and the kids had fun. I would probably choose a different option next time… but try it yourself and see what you think. Merry Christmas!

We bought our tickets for THE POLAR EXPRESS on 8÷1÷12 for 12÷9÷12. We received an email confirmation and in the confirmation it stated that there was ample parking and a shuttle to the train. We waited and waited for tickets and the. The communication between the time we purchased and the time the event came up was minimal and we never received tickets so we had to call and pick them up at the box office. It was a very rainy and cold day. My children are 2 and 9 months. The price was $ 26 for each adult, $ 20 for my 2 year old and $ 4 for my son to sit on my lap for a total of $ 76. When we arrived there was basically no parking. It was raining and we had to park @ ¼ mile from the train, which would not have been bad but it was raining and cold and we couldn’t bring our stroller. There was NO SHUTTLE! You have to walk down a steep hill, cross through a businesses back entry with garbage. The train was very modestly decorated. Nothing special. We boarded and we left. Santa made an appearance which was nice. It was a disappointing experience all together. The kids weren’t real enthused. I don’t recommend.