new hope valley rail road

Took my boys there about 7 years ago. Even though they were little, and they loved trains, we had rather an awful time. The train went VERY slowly, and we were encouraged to look out the window at painted wooden items attached to trees. Yes, Santa was on the train, which was cool, and I am sure there is wonderful history there. But it's one of our funny little family stories.

We went to the NHVR as part of my wife's birthday surprise today. We enjoyed Santa's train ride which was pulled by a steam locomotive. We also had the option of riding in a diesel locomotive. The trip was fantastic for my wife and our almost 3 year old daughter. My son also enjoyed all of the things we were able to see at the station and during our trip through the woods. The train experience lasted about an hour and it was very scenic. This time of the year the train was decorated with Christmas decorations and Santa was on board to visit the kids. We could not have asked for a better time. There was also a jumbo sized model railroad layout that ran about 5 different trains simultaneously, a railroad museum, and a lot of railroad items check out. I recommend this attraction to train lovers of all ages.

New Hope Valley railroad has been a favorite destination for any child (or adult for that matter) who has a love for the railroad and trains. This was our second time riding the Christmas Express, a restored steam locomotive, decorated with gifts for good children. We did not have assigned seating which gave us the option of choosing an open carriage or enclosed carriage. It was rainy and cold the day we attended so we selected an enclosed carriage. It wasn't heated, but it kept most of the damp off of us. The rain was raw, but there was so much going on we didn't even notice....there is a railway museum, and a reading area for preschools to hear a Christmas story, trains waiting to be restored. The rain let up and while we were leaving we got to watch the model train run it's course. As we traveled along on the tracks, we looked for things strategically placed in the woods, and screamed each one out....PENGUIN!.....CANDY CANE!....SNOWMAN!.....SANTA!.... and then there he was! SANTA! In the flesh, asking if we had been good and rewarding us with candy canes for being good, and coal for being a bit naughty.My 71 year old mother was asked how she had been, and she replied "Definitely naughty!" and he handed her the biggest piece of coal from his sack. She screamed out "Look what I get for being naughty!!!!" and shook her hunk of coal at the rest of the passengers. Santa said he'd never seen someone so proud of their naughtiness! And then handed her a candy cane. What a great sport!The train ride was fun, and 1/2 way through the train stops and the engine switches tracks and passes by all the coaches, then reconnects to the other end and takes the train back. The ride was about one hour. There was a snack hut and gift shop, and outhouses for convenience.And the highlight of this even was Santa using the outhouse himself! (We have a picture of him exiting!!!!)

Just a simple train ride in an open air car through the woods! My son is in love with trains right now and he had a ball! He also loved chasing the model trains around too!

My Grandson was in heaven from the time we arrived!! My granddaughter also loved it (ages 3 and 4). Touring the old train cars was lots of fun, photos opps everywhere. The steam engine horn...oh his face was priceless when it went off, not just the first time but e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. time! We saw train lovers from age 1 to 100 (ish) we went on Brew and Chew day which was fun for adults and children. The train ride was 45 minutes long, excellent price, great people, this facility is run completely by volunteers. I am a definite fan of New Hope Valley Railroad and we will be back!! Try to take some extra cash for the gift shop, all support is much appreciated I'm sure.(disclaimer for you Debbie Downers, there are porta potties....or you can go behind a tree)

The New Hope Valley Railroad is a short drive from Raleigh and a fun way to spend a few hours. A highlight for me was watching the miniature trains on a large track all run by volunteers. There is a small gift shop and some train cars were made into a museum. So this will keep you busy before you board your train car.There are several port a potties on site so I'd suggest bringing some hand sanitizer with you. They have a food truck that sells hotdogs and such if you want to get a bite to eat there. There is a diesel engine or a steam engine that pulls the train cars through the wooded area. It is a short ride and you will see mostly trees and some houses. The train goes about 20 minutes then the engine is taken off the front and moves to another track so that it can attach to the rear of the train and take the train back. This was enjoyable to watch.In the fall there is a halloween ride and a holiday santa ride in December.If you are looking for something fun to do close to The Triangle this is a fun place to spend a few hours and learn a little something about trains.

Okay, let me begin by saying, my daughter and I like trains, and have ridden several excursion lines in various places. And I must say the staff at NHVR are probably the nicest we've run into anywhere, which is even more remarkable since they are all volunteers. They do this because the love railroads and enjoy seeing the "iron horse" run. The place doesn't appear to have a huge amount of cash to put into it's facility, but they do a very good job with what they have to work with.The steam engine was out of service when we visited this last time (June 2014), which is sad; there's nothing like the whistle of a steam locomotive, even a small one. They say it'll be back up by mid-July, and in fact, had a crew of volunteers working on it while we were there.The ride takes about an hour, goes down the track to New Hill, and then the engine changes ends and goes back. In the summer you are looking mostly at woods on both sides, and it's about 5 degrees cooler in the shade of the trees. The cars were open, so keep that in mind if it's cool or rainy. This is not the Grand Canyon Railroad; don't expect breathtaking scenery, but it's a fun way to spend an hour or two, and kids seem to especially like it. Take note also there are no, repeat, no bathrooms on the train; use the porta-potties at the rail yard before you leave. They have recently added a food truck to supply your needs, and the prices didn't seem too unreasonable.They also have a small museum/gift shop in one of the cars, and several examples of rolling stock of various kinds to explore, plus a large model railroad you can examine.Would I drive five hours to ride it? No, probably not. But if you are in the Raleigh/Apex/Pittsboro area of NC and want to entertain the little tykes for an afternoon, I'd suggest giving them a visit. Be sure and check the website first, as the ride days vary (usually on Saturdays)

I went with my family (parents, sister and brother-in-law, and 4 children ages 2-7) on the steam train ride last Sunday. We were immediately impressed with the model train at the entrance. There are several historic trains you can look at while you wait for your train. The kids had a lot of fun, you can take a picnic or buy hotdogs from the stand close to the track (which we did and they were pretty good).It was very hot, as is to be expected in NC in July so my only recommendation would to be to go on a cooler day if possible.

You have the choice of riding a steam or diesel engine train, it will take you about 4 miles down the track the unhooks and rehooks up, scenery is pretty and you do go over a tressel. if you love trains or just want to take your first ride like my daughter and I, you will really enjoy this experience.

This is a small train that offers rides that go down a set of tracks for about 20 minutes and then returns on the same set of tracks. The passenger cars are open to the outdoors. The scenery is of only trees close to the tracks, pretty greenery but not much variety. The train goes pretty slow. Before going on the train there is a small outdoor area where they have a few shaded spots to wait for the train, a few sections of trains not in use to go in and view, and they had a hot dog/beverage stand. The staff was all very friendly. For us as adult this experience was not very entertaining. I think it would be fun for younger children and interesting for a train enthusiast. I did see that a child was having a birthday party there where they reserved a section of the train, seemed like it would be a fun idea.