Steam Railroading Institute - Rail museum in Owosso - 405 S Washington St, USA

This was our first trip on the Pere Marquette. We choose the swivel chairs which turned out to be an excellent choice for comfort and viewing. The staff in our car and elsewhere were incredibly friendly and made the trip fun. The town of Ashley is definitely geared towards children but it's fun to check out the small stores. Overall, it was a fun experience.

Aboard a massive old steam engine and classic train cars, we took the North Pole Express 1225 to a little Christmas town and back. The family enjoyed the trip, was very memorable. Amazing machines!

My family and I came for the polar express and wow what a experience. The conductors were beyond friendly and the two we had in our car Denise and Joni were so fun! They coordinated Christmas songs with fun aides and snow ball races. I can't wait to do it again and want to visit the institute in the summer to view the building.

A huge shout out to Fred, Camille and Bob for making my birthday/Santa Claus school trip so amazing. Your hospitality, knowledge, and kindness were so appreciated. I can't wait to bring my family back to visit! Thank you from the bottom of my heart you all are so wonderful!!!

The North Pole Express was a magical experience. We went with a group of my Mom-Friends and our kids. We got the seats in the dining cars. The kids sipped on hot cocoa, had delicious treats brought to us on the on the way there and back. The staff in our car (Holly) lead Christmas songs and shared historical information about the train. The conductor came around on the way home and signed the Polar Express book that we bought in Ashley. Ashley completely transformed into the North Pole. All of the staff and vendors there were so incredibly joyful and in character! I was so impressed, it was Disney level commitment. There was a free magic show there, the Grinch, shops, rides, a toy shop where kids could make a toy and so many nods to the Polar Express movie. We loved it! Worth every penny and we will definitely do this again. Also making a trip back to Ashley because we didn’t get to do everything. If you go, definitely wear your pajamas like in the movie! Lots of people do this or wear matching shirts and holiday hats, necklaces, etc. You can bring snacks on the train, so that is great. Water bottles and non-sugary snacks are a good idea for the kiddos.

Delightful time riding the North Pole Express to the village of Ashley. The grandkids enjoyed the best possible visit with Santa, the great magician, and the amazing model train layout. We all enjoyed seeing the huge steam locomotive pulling the long train. Best possible way to spend a holiday celebration with out of town kids and grandkids. It is important to follow the Steam Railroading Institute's notifications to get tickets to this event. They sell out very fast. And, I thought the hot chocolate was very good. The volunteer car hosts were helpful, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Go back in time a bit and take a ride in a 20th mid- century passenger car pulled by genuine steam locomotives. You can tour the engine upon arrival. A bit pricey but the experience is worth it.

The Polar Express trip was an amazing dream come true for my grandson who loves trains. He had the time of his life! The train itself was beautiful, clean and very well maintained. All the staff - both on the train and in Ashley - were amazing! Everybody was super friendly and helpful and really got into making sure everybody enjoyed themselves.