Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum

05/30/2026

The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has launched a project to acquire a mobile wheelchair lift.

Right now, some of our neighbors come to the museum, walk up to the platform — and have to wave from the ground as the train pulls away. For almost 40 years, we've shared the story of railroading in Northern Indiana with thousands of visitors — but not all of them can board. Guests using wheelchairs, walkers, or canes, along with parents pushing strollers and older visitors with mobility challenges, are the ones left behind. We want to change that.

We're raising $15,000 to purchase a mobile wheelchair lift — in time for the 2026 pumpkin trains. Any donation amount would be appreciated. Click here to make a donation:

Help Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum fund a mobile wheelchair lift so guests of all abilities can board our trains. Donate today to welcome everyone aboard.

05/29/2026

Monon Business Car #2, the "Lynne" turned 102 years old today, having entered service for the Great Northern Railway on May, 28th 1924 as the Pullman "Great Spirit".

This will be the Lynne's second full season operating at HVRM, where she has become a favorite among guests. To date, the Lynne has already welcomed over 2200 guests, and is commonly SOLD OUT on many of our special events.

The Lynne will be available on all of our diesel excursions though July 11th, which is our annual Civilians and Soldiers in History Day. After July 11th, the Lynne will be sitting out the remainder of the regular season to receive some much needed TLC. Don't worry though, she'll be back in service for Pumpkin Trains, our busiest time of the year!

Thank you to all who have come out and enjoyed a ride (or several) in the Lynne. To book a ride in the Lynne, or explore any of our other ride options, check out the link below. 🚂⬇️

https://www.hoosiervalley.org/train-rides/schedules-and-fares

05/28/2026

We will be running our Ice Cream Trains during the Town of North Judson's MINT FESTIVAL on Saturday, June 20th. Our friends at Sallie's Small Batch Ice Creams will be on site serving up some of the best Ice Cream there is!

The museum will be one of the featured Trolley Stops this day, providing easy access to the festival downtown. Plenty of extra parking is available at the museum. Check out the page North Judson Mint Festival Official for more details on the festival.

Both steam and diesel Ice Cream Trains will be running with hourly departures from 11am to 3pm. For more information or to get your tickets today, visit the link below. ⬇️🚂🍦

https://www.hoosiervalley.org/train-rides/special-events/ice-cream-trains

TROLLEYS

Winamac Power from the Past generously lends us their trolleys which we so greatly appreciate!

Trolleys run on Saturday June 20. There are 5 trolley stops around town so you can park once and still see the whole fest!

THE TROLLEYS ARE FREE! Jump on and off as many times as you like! Or stay on and take a relaxing ride around town.

Stops are:
Near Catholic Church at the heart of the fest
( Food trucks, craft vendors, kids activities,
Music, beer garden, and more)
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
(Train rides and overflow parking)
Town Park
(Volleyball tournament, home run derbys)
NJ SP High School
(Antique Tractor show and Farm toy show,
Bluejay classic basketball tournament)
Across from NJ SP Elementary
(Car show)

There will be clear signs this year for trolley stops. There is not a time table. They run all day though so you should never be waiting too long for the next trolley.

Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has generously offered to let us use some of their parking lot. So if you cant find a spot saturday you can park there and grab a trolley into town. Make sure you make a stop into the station and in the museum car. Better yet take a ride on a train before you hit the fest!

05/22/2026

Some Steam departure times are nearly sold-out tomorrow! Plenty of tickets for our Diesel-powered Ice Cream Trains remain!

05/16/2026

All aboard our first Ice Cream Trains of the season!

Enjoy a cool refreshing summer treat from our friends at Sallie's Small Batch Ice Creams before boarding one of our trains to enjoy a leisurely ride through the Indiana Countryside. All trips last approximately 45 minutes and depart from our museum site in North Judson.

Both Steam and Diesel powered trains will operate with hourly departures from 11am to 3pm on May 23rd! Open-air, coach, and first-class lounge seating is available on all of our Ice Cream Trains pulled by Diesel locomotives. Open-Air and caboose seating is available on a first come first served basis for all Ice Cream Trains pulled by Steam.

To check availability for future dates or to book your trip today, visit the link below! ⬇️🚂🍨

https://www.hoosiervalley.org/train-rides/special-events/ice-cream-trains

05/13/2026

Our most popular Summer Event is back and better than ever!

Join us July 11th for our annual Civilians and Soldiers in History Day! A wide range of displays dating all the way back to the Civil War and up to near modern day will be on display. Jeeps, cannons, half tracks, encampment displays, reenactors in period clothing, and much more await our visitors. Some of our visiting reenactors will be onboard the train during each excursion to interact with passengers. All visitors are ENCOURAGED to dress to match their favorite era. The museum grounds and all displays will be open from 9am to 9pm. ADMISSION IS FREE. Train excursion tickets start at $14. ALL departure times are CENTRAL TIME.

SPECIAL FRIDAY EVENING PREVIEW AND EXCURSION ON JULY 10TH ⬇️⬇️

We will offer a single train ride on Friday evening, leaving North Judson at 6:00 pm. This is a diesel-powered excursion. Choose from coach, open-air, or first class accommodations. The museum grounds and all visiting displays will be open from 5pm to 8pm.

Train excursions ALL DAY Saturday, July 11th ⬇️⬇️

We will be operating a series of diesel-powered excursions throughout the day on Saturday with coach, open-air, or first class seats available (select your seating choice when purchasing tickets). Trains depart at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm. Due to the popularity of this event, trains often sell out, so be sure to purchase your tickets ahead of time!

For more information, or to book your train ride today, visit the link below. 🚂⬇️

https://www.hoosiervalley.org/train-rides/special-events/civilians-and-soldiers-history-day

05/11/2026

We are often asked what type of seating is available on our trains. As we continue to grow and expand our events, our seating choices have evolved over the last few seasons. Check out the options below to see all the types of seating we offer! 🚂⬇️

Monon Business Car "Lynne" is our "First-Class" car and features lounge seating for up to 12 passengers as well as 2 Private Rooms with seating for up to 3 adults. The Lynne is fully climate controlled.

Coach #830, on lease from our friends at AMC Rail, is our "Open Window Coach" and features open seating for approximately 50 passengers. Windows are able to be opened by passengers for a nice breeze in fair weather. The car also features heat for use during the winter months.

Both of our "Open Air" cars feature a roof and sides with outward facing bench seating down the center of the car. These cars are extremely popular during the summer and fall months and offer an excellent view for passengers.

Coach #2937 is our "Sealed Window Coach" and is equipped with air conditioning for warm weather and heat for the winter months. #2937 features commuter style seating and has a capacity of 100+.

All of our regular Diesel Excursions feature open seating between both coaches and the open air car (subject to availability), so you can choose where to sit while boarding. First-Class tickets are also available on most runs. Most special events feature seperate tickets for each type of seating, and you'll choose your seating type when purchasing tickets.

For more information, to view or schedule, or to purchase tickets today, visit the link below. 🚂⬇️

https://www.hoosiervalley.org/train-rides/schedules-and-fares

05/09/2026

Happy National Train Day!

Our first trip of the season has just arrived back at the depot with another set to depart at 1:30pm. There is still plenty of tickets available and the weather is beautiful today!

Tickets are on sale now for all Saturdays through September! For more information or to book your trip today, visit the link below. 🚂⬇️

https://www.hoosiervalley.org/train-rides/schedules-and-fares

04/14/2026

Last weekend our volunteers began rearranging some of our display pieces into better positions for our guests to enjoy. The most notable piece of equipment moved was our Nickle Plate Road baggage car #344.
The 1929 Pullman baggage car is unique because one end of the car has doors for loading and unloading of automobiles. The car has rejoined the display track near the depot and may be the subject of some more in-depth restoration in the future.

A new set of custom fabricated steel stairs for Grasselli Tower recently arrived and will be installed soon to reopen the tower for visitors. Over the last few years, the tower exterior was restored with all new custom siding milled to the original specifications. The new stairs were completely funded by a fundraiser near the end of the 2024 season, and we are excited to finally have them on site!

Tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now at the link below. ⬇️🚂

https://www.hoosiervalley.org/train-rides/schedules-and-fares