whitewater valley railroad

The train itself is packed with history. The ride is leisurely and quite enjoyable. It takes you into a Wild West Era with actual functioning town and events and skits throughout the day. What a memory. Enjoyed it as a teenager. Made it feel just like yesterday when we went back.

This was our 1st trip on the Christmas Train (Connersville to Metamora "Christmas Walk". The Train Station was Small, but very clean & well staffed. The Train is heated by a "Coal Stove", so, if you have breathing problems, avoid this attraction. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. The train car (Coach) was Old & Dirty. I have to give them a "Thumbs Up" when I found out that it was a "restored" Train Car & ALL Volunteers working. It was fun to do once, but I don't think we will try it again. It is an 1 hr. 15min. trip (1 way)

We took our Grandson on the Polar Express train ride and it has also been about 35 years since the last time I rode on a train as well. From what we were, told this attraction is run by all volunteers and on this weekend it was very very busy especially with the unseasonably warm weather we had for the last day of November. Riding on these old passenger cars brought back a flood of memories as it had been many years since I took a train ride. The folks volunteering do an excellent job and were friendly and hospitable. During the approximate two hour ride we were served a cookie and hot chocolate. Santa even boarded the train and visited briefly with all the kids in our train car. So many people have not had the experience of riding on a train so this was a great experience for my Grandson to have. Good job and thank you to all the volunteers that give their time to this attraction.

The railroad is billed as Indiana's most scenic railway. If you take the longer ride to Metamora, that may be the case, but we took the kids on the pumkinliner. It was an 8 minute ride, past a junk yard and old scrap engines to a camp ground where we boarded a hayride to a "pumpkin patch," where there were a bunch of pumpkins laid out in an open green space. There were a couple of picture taking spots, which were nice. But overall, it was a major letdown.

This organization has done a fine job restoring and sharing railroad history. Many volunteers assist with railroad events and operations. There are numerous excursions to choose from, year-round.The Polar Express is a must-do for families with small children. Due to the nature of the old railcars, it is a good idea to dress for the weather.

this is a nice trip and enjoyable trip for all ages you can do this with friends or family or alone.you can enjoy shopping when it stops in the next town over and enjoy the towns hospitality

The train ride was a gift to my husband (a train enthusiast) for his birthday. We arrived at the station a bit early and sat outside. When the train arrived the staff was very pleasant, chatty and knew a lot about the train and the area. We had tickets for the caboose which he enjoyed immensely as we could sit in seats that were on a upper level which provided great view. There is some interesting scenery along the way dealing with the old canal. The brakeman on our car was very knowledgeable as well. The train goes to the town of Metamora. This part of the ride was a bit underwhelming. The town seems to have fallen on hard times as many of the shops have a lot of things made in china. We were there a weekend in July and it was very slow. Wish there would have been more homemade and artsy things. We did eat lunch at a cute place - The Smelly Gourmet. For any train enthusiast, this is a fun train ride, just don't expect much in Metamora. The train station has snacks for purchase but none on the train and there are no bathrooms on the train.

We took our grandsons, ages almost 3 and almost 5. They had a grand time. We had noon tickets and got there at 9:30. We filled all that time just doing the activities there were for the kids. The boys liked the kids' magic show very much. They found Marty the Magician just hysterically funny. They almost liked playing with all the train sets, getting tattoos, riding the barrel train, playing mini-golf. They did not get around to watching the videos or story-time. There were snack booths there for hot dog sort of thing. Pictures with Thomas were $23 for two 5x7. Pretty steep. After you buy two, you get any other print for $5. The kids visit the gift shop, imagination station, picture place and one other and get two prizes which were surprisingly nice. One was a megablock Thomas. Just three pieces, which was perfect for our little guy. And a wheel that had all the characters on it from the Thomas stories. Very nice. The boys were very excited to see Thomas and to get on the train. The ride is 1/2 hour and that's more than long enough for guys young enough to enjoy Thomas. There were also big bins of fruit squeezies. Bathrooms were clean. We parked across the street for $5. Didn't feel like taking the shuttle. Very nice day. I was worried about the steps into the train as people had said they were hard for the disabled. I have mobility issues but I had no problem! The steps are about a foot high. You could not get a wheelchair up there unless you folded it, of course. I use a cane. The kids also get a nice certificate that says they are junior train engineers. Our four-year-old loved it. Even hugged and kissed it.

We took the Whitewater Valley Railroad trip from Connersville to Metamora, Indiana on as cool, rainy October day. The train, although unheated, was comfortable with coats. I would recommend taking a blanket on a cold day.We called ahead to see if we could bring a mobility scooter with us. The person on the phone told us that if it would fold down, we could bring it along. Ours does fold, so we brought it. There was some confusion about this information when we arrived at the station. The Railroad is run by volunteers and there seems to be some communication gaps. Ultimately we were able to take the scooter. It had to be stored in what was once a lavatory, hence the need to fold.Volunteers on the train were extremely helpful. They were quick to provide assistance,helpful loading and unloading the scooter and helpful with mobility challenged passengers. The train has very steep steps that must be negotiated to board. Anyone who cannot climb the steps with assistance will find this trip very problematic. No amount of great assists can overcome the steps of an old train. Before taking a person with assistance needs, ask many and specific questions.The trip to Metamora was filled with fall foliage. The Wild West participants on the train kept the trip fun and lively both ways.It is obvious that for the well trained (pardon the pun), helpful staff, this is a labor of love. It was a fun way to spend a fall day.

We came for the Day out with Thomas trip. My wife, our five year old son, and I really enjoyed all of the activities they had available. The station is neat and clean with good bathrooms. The volunteers were all friendly and helpful. The trains are neat. If you do this trip be sure to sit on the side of the train away from the station. We sat on the side nearest the station and the train ride is an out and back with some unattractive scenery on that side (junkyard and quarry).

While I rated this as average, that's not a bad thing. There are several of these types of not for profit train operations around the state and the country. They do a good job here. A unique aspect is the trip to Metamora, an old canal town with a working grist mill among other historic sites and activities. The canal boat ride accross what may be the countries only functional aqueduct that caries the canal through a covered bridge over a river below. You'll enjoy both the train ride there and back as well as the town of Metamora

my daughter bought tickets for my birthday present to ride the train to Metamora, Indiana from Connersville, indiana. Enjoyed the trip immensely. The volunteers who run the train are very knowledgable about the towns we pass and about the history of the Canal that was built just before the railroads were built. The little town of Metamora did a wonderful job of decorating the town for Christmas. There were horse and buggy rides and a few of the shops had free cocoa and cookies. We will definitely do this trip again!

We have taken this trip many times before and always enjoy it. It had been several years since our last ride, so we decided it was time again. We took a group of 9 with us, one was handicap. The ride to Metamora was enjoyable, we saw wildlife and the historical spots along the way. Christmas in Metamora is like walking back in time to a vintage postcard, carriage ride and all. It was cold this trip, but the 3 hour layover was enjoyable, even sitting around the fire to warm up. The return trip in the dark is quieter, but was highlighted by getting to see the "North Pole", destination for "The Polar Express". The only downside is boarding for handicap passengers is a problem, but everyone was very helpful. We enjoy this trip every time, and I'm sure we will do it again.

We had 6 adults and 2 kids for the Polar Express train in December. We have ridden other Polar Express trains and this trip was on-par with our other experiences. Our kids loved it and their "North Pole" at the turn-around point was well decorated. We will most likely return again this year too. Parking and the staging area can get really crowded between the two nightly trips. Note: I don't think the actual train had bathrooms or at least not the car we were on; remind your kids to use the bathroom before boarding. Unfortunately, there's not much in Connersville to help support the Railroad; restaurants and hotels.

We did the daytime "Wild West Train" from Connersville to Metamora. The ride itself is about 18 miles, taking around an hour and 15 minutes more or less each way on a vintage unairconditioned train car. The heat was not bad when the train starts moving (but I wouldn't have wanted to take the trip in last weeks 100 degree heat!). The scenery itself is not spectacular, just good old Indiana farm fields and woods.The "Circle D Rangers" who make up the outlaws and lawmen are a hoot and you can tell they love what they do. I spoke with two of the oldest, ages 77 and 84 who are still full of enthusiasm for the rolls they play and who, by the way, get around better than I do at 30 years younger! It can be a rowdy, noisy, bumpy ride but it was all part of the fun. It culminates with a shoot out between the bad guys and the good guys outside the train which kind of freaked out a few todlers but they were good with it when the "dead people" stood back up again. Coolers are allowed on the train if you care to take a picnic lunch or you can eat at one of the restaurants in Metamora. Metamora itself is an interesting place to visit and the two hour lay over just wasn't enough time. Probably could have been if we had not stopped in a restaurant for lunch. It has some nice shops but many sold just downright stupid things or primitive decor, which I am not into. A few nice antique stores, the mill and fudge and candy stores were fun! The favorite of my grandkids was the Gem Mine where you can run buckets of sand through sluice boxes to find the gems inside. (or you can buy some awfully pretty ones in the gift shop).All in all, it was a nice way to spend a day and I, along with my 6 and 11 year old grandchildren enjoyed it.