arkansas & missouri railroad

This is a fantastic step back in time to the golden age of passenger railroad. No matter where you sit you will have great views. We enjoyed the dome car. Rolling through towns and over high trestles in the Boston Mountains offers a priceless look at this part of Arkansas you don't get from the road. If you go to Van Buren, go see the historic home. The ride is slow, so antsy kids might not do well on a regular ride (they offer specialty trains geared towards children), but this is certainly a trip worth taking.

We traveled first class on the train in November and rode to Van Buren. We loved the views, bridges, abd tressels. Large spacious seating and so comfortable! We would probably pick the car that has the clear top for viewing next time! Amazing trip! Highly recommend!

I love trains so my opinion is heavily weighed in favor of the railroad. I bought my family (2 adults & 3 kids) tickets at $12 & $7 per person on the Holiday Express from Springdale to Johnson, approximately 8 miles round trip and one hour in length. The station and the trains are beautiful, I was enchanted. The staff's attempt at creating a magical Christmas experience was not as wonderful as we had hoped and I fear my family will refuse to ever return. There were a few errors here and there that an open minded person could forgive but the members of my party could only focus on the glass half empty...or more specifically the Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate that was quite literally offered half empty and so watered down that it was altogether unpleasant. I have to give a poor grade to the on board train staff but I loved the train so much that I'd make the hour drive up again just for the ride.

We drove down from Northern Illinois with 2 grandsons in order to take the kids pajama Christmas train. Their website is lacking on information but I purchased club car tickets & hoped for the best. We stopped by in the afternoon to pick our tickets up & discovered a parking lot with kids activities so we stayed to have some fun. Our train boarded at 6pm for a unique 3 hour experience. Our club car included 2 "elves" that worked really hard to make it fun for all. Santa worked his way through the whole train (no easy feat) to spend time with every family. They do need to find a better way to pipe in Christmas music as relying on a cellular connection is not a great plan. I will try to get back this summer for a day trip through the mountains.

This is a fantastic train trip over the scenic Ozark Mountains, complete with a tunnel and tall trestles. The staff was so friendly and accommodating, and we had a great time. Thanks A&M for a great trip!

My daughter won tickets for this train ride and we went the day after Thanksgiving. There weren't many of us on the train so we all rode in the "first-class car." The train car itself was lovely, decorated for Christmas. It was clean and very comfortable, outfitted with both tables and comfy chairs. The crew working that day was delightful; they were knowledgeable and helpful. The ride itself was great...very enjoyable, except the heat was working properly. However, we had a three plus layover in Van Buren before heading back. That part was pretty miserable, as there simply isn't that much to do in that town. Many shops were closed that day, as were some of the downtown restaurants. Most of the shops were "junk shops," selling junk as opposed to antiques. We wandered about a 1/2 mile away from the historic area before finding a decent restaurant. The ride back was pretty good except it too a really long time, as we had to stop for another train when returning. We were told we'd be back to Springdale by about 4 or so. It was almost 6pm when we returned...not good! It was a fun day, but don't think I'd repeat the experience.

We took the train from Springdale, Arkansas to Van Buren, Arkansas. The trip there took exactly 3 hours. The heat/cooling system on the train itself was inconsistant. The helpers on board were friendly and "aimed to please." It was a long three hours. Once in Van Buren, we were told we would be there for 3-1/4 hours. UGGGG! The stores that were actually open were very few and contained pricey antique -- not even very good ones. I tried to go into one of them and had to leave immediately because of the mildew smell which choked me up. Walking into the stores up and down the one street took no more than 30 minutes. Ok, what to do with the rest of this remaining 3 hours! We had the choice to eat at a Mexican restaurant or Boomerang....We chose the Mexican restaurant....wrong choice. The salsa was horrible. We selected taco salads. The beans at the bottom of the salad was like bean soup and then they added lettuce on top. All for almost $8. I would highly recommbend Boomberang!!! Ok, after this "dining experience" we had 2-1/2 hours to spend -- doing absolutely nothing! If they would have had some sort of festival activity, I could see spending this much time, but that certainly didn't happen on November 8, 2014. The trip back to Springdale was another 3 hours. There were several children on the train and they were not engaged in the experience. If you want to take a train ride, I would recommend the shorter one for sure!

The Arkansas & Missouri tourist train began in 1991 when a passenger car was added on Fort Smith bound freight trains. It was dropped off at Van Buren and then picked up when the freight passed through Van Buren. In 1998 it was formally announced that the tourist train would shut down in November. Governor Huckabee used the train for a whistle stop tour in 1998 and thereafter talk of shutting the operation ceased.The tourist operation has consistently expanded in terms of types of cars (all but one passenger cars is fully air-conditioned.) My favorite is the lovely Art Deco influenced Silver Feather dome passenger built in 1949 and used on the famed California Zephyr until 1971. It is a lovely car well worth the extra fare.A ride in the dome is an extra cost but it is an uncommon experience you will enjoy. The Spirit of Arkansas is an extra fare lounge car that ran on the Southern Pacific's premier Los Angeles to New Orleans run. Two of the standard fare cars ( built from 1917 to 1927) are impeccably maintained and feature heat and air conditioning dependent on the season.One standard coach, used in the Biloxi Blues, does not have air conditioning .They are built of riveted plates steel and provide a glimpse back to train travel in in an earlier era. Car 107 is a parlor car that started life on the Long Island Railroad in 1955.The on board service attendants are very enthusiastic and try to make the day long Springdale- Van Buren trip enjoyable. For individuals with less time the railroad also operates a Van Buren , AR (adjacent to I-40) to Winslow, AR three hour trip that goes through the same tunnel and three high trestles as the day long trip out of Springdale. This is definitely mountain railroading and don't forget to steal a kiss from your loved one when the train enters the 1.693 foot tunnel. The show conductors are not required to the take the detailed Federal safety training required of real conductors who normally rides up front in the engineer's cab. The show conductors are aboard to enhance the passenger's experience telling stories about events that may or may not have taken place on this former Frisco Railroad line. The stories are interesting but may not be accurate.If you have a small child he/she may not be up to a train ride. You can check this out by taking a ride on the Children's Christmas Train co-sponsored by JB Hunt that operates 45 minute trips from Springdale on the first Saturday of December each year. One hundred percent of the reasonable ticket price to Northwest Arkansas children's charities.

I'll try and write an honest review without coming off too harshly. We booked this adventure over a month in advance over the phone and got an email confirmation that we will have table #5 on the Silver Feather car 108. We arrived at the station about 30 minutes ahead of the departure time. Went into the door that said "Tickets" to get our will-call tickets but didn't see anyone there. So, while I waited, my adult daughter went to the little store/ticket place to see if that's where we needed to get our tickets. After a short wait, we both met outside with tickets in our hands. We also were both given 16 tokens for drinks and snacks (4 tokens per person - 4 people with us) so we were actually given 32 tokens. Kind of a weird snafu as you would assume the process would be handled in a matter where that wouldn't happen. (We only used the fair amount) Anyway, the boarding was started. We got to our reserved car... and there were a lot more people than tables and seats--the problem is because even though you think you're reserving a certain table--once you get there, it's open seating. The only thing you are actually reserving is the car. I had originally tried reserving the dome but was told it was full - so I peeked into the dome and saw several empty tables. Eventually, that problem was solved and people were moved around and seated. We were moved to the dome as they actually did have 2-3 extra tables. It's my opinion that if they actually did issue reserved seats, this whole seating issue would not be a problem. I was told on the phone and in my email confirmation that it was reserved. The dome was nice except for a couple of things. The main thing is that the windows were very dirty, making the view not near as clear and enjoyable as it should be on a scenic tour. I think they should have someone do a quick wipe down each trip - it's not a big area and could be done in 30 min or less. Secondly, the dome is smallish so if one passenger is standing up nearly the whole time taking photos, your view and photos will include this person (you know the type). The last thing is that it gets rather warm with all the windows. The a/c was on at a decent temperature - but the minute they picked up the evaluations they had passed out, the a/c was noticeably warmer and it was pretty stuffy and humid. The trip itself was a little long and to be honest, we didn't see much. Only 3 spots where you're on a trestle and an enjoy a view overlooking the mountains. They did slow the train to see the view a little bit longer. We did enjoy the one tunnel and the commentary from our car host. Other than the 3 times we had decent views, we were mainly in valleys or at level ground with the same scenery as driving. In fact we would have seen a lot more fall foliage had we just driven on a fall foliage tour as highways curve around mountainsides allowing for scenic views (which this train route does not do). Got into Van Buren at 11:30 am and was told to be back at the depot by 2:30 pm. We were greeted by a fellow handing out a religious audio CD, then we walked a couple of blocks to Ponchos and had a nice Mexican meal. Great service and food was good. We then walked around - but there is not 3 hours worth of things to do in the area of the station. There's a 5 block area with mostly flea market types of stores and a couple of restaurants. We got back to depot by 1 pm. Most passengers were there by 1:30 pm which tells me that they also had a hard time filling the 3 hour layover. Unfortunately, the depot has very little seating - 3 benches outside on the other end of where you line up for entering train and a few benches inside. It's not really that fun to just stand there waiting for the train ride back to Springdale with 80~100 other people. I feel the time should be shortened but I know the reason it's not is because they also do a lunch trip from Van Buren to Winslow during the 3 hour break. Finally got loaded around 3:15 (not sure why they told us 2:30) and left the depot. We finally got back to Springdale at 5:50 pm - which was well over an hour later than what the excursion times show. Employees were friendly and we did enjoy the train ride. (Take motion-sickness pills if you get sick -we rode backward and with the train rocking a bit at slower speeds it would be easy to get sick!) There were several things in the process that could be changed to make it a much smoother and more enjoyable experience, and hopefully they take this review as constructive criticism. The owner needs to spend a little $ and add a lot more seating at the Van Buren depot, hire a window cleaner to clean windows each day, change the ticketing process, and offer reserved seating. Needless to say, we won't spend the $ to do this again.

The scenery was amazing. The stories the guide told were interesting. We even had a staged robbery which was fun. I was with a large tour group so we had a box lunch which was really yummy. My only complaint is that it was just a little too long. I think the one we did was 3 hours. I would have rather have done an hour or two. But they did try to keep our interest and for the most part succeeded.

A great way to spend a day riding the rails. We upgraded to the dome car and it was worth the upgrade. This is our third or fourth trip on the train. In the dome you can see over the tree tops and see the beautiful landscape. The leaves had just a hint of color. In a couple of weeks this view cannot be passed up. The staff was friendly and informative. Snacks and drinks are available and are included with price in the dome car. It is a all day trip. We stopped in Van Buren, Ar for 2 hours time to eat and look around the historic part of the town. Van Buren is nice but many store's are closed but still worth visiting. The train cars are 50 to 60 years old and takes you back to a time when life was more simple.

My youngest son and I have done this for the last two years: first in Coach and then in the Dome car. Both times were a lot of fun but he prefers the Dome car. I liked Coach a bit more because the Dome is a bit crowded. We will be going back to try out First Class. Great for families, but go early! We do the ride from Van Buren to Winslow and back and ticketing at Van Buren is hectic.

This was a very interesting way to spend a day, very enjoyable. The old railroad cars were very interesting and a bit of history. They're not as comfortable as modern day Amtrak cars, but for the short trip, it was pretty nice. The two hosts on the trip kept us entertained and were very knowledgeable around the area and it's history. The narration seemed just a bit much at times, but was enjoyable none the less. We enjoyed the 3 1/2 hour layover in Van Buren, having never visited the town before. There were a number of shops to explore and nice places to eat. There was also a nearby historical house with free shuttles back and forth and free admission. We had more than enough to entertain us for the visit. On the return trip, we took the opportunity to nap a bit and just relax after the very pleasant day. One tip, they had water, canned sodas, snacks and candy for sale on the train, all for just $1 each. That was very convenient and very reasonable. We'd grabbed a couple of things for the trip there, but didn't bother for the trip back, after knowing what was available. They also offered good suggestions for places to eat and things to do when we arrived.

My husband and I decided to take my 7 year old granddaughter. However, I believe my husband and I enjoyed it more. It's a trip back in time, we enjoyed the stories told by the announcer and learning about the past. The staff was extremely nice and the scenery was beautiful. I think it's a great peaceful trip for us older (45-50) folks. Definitely nice trip. Just don't expect too much excitement more than a relaxing train ride with good scenic views. We were served lunch, a box sandwich, chips, soda and a cookie. Neat shops in Van Buren. Only a 3 hour drive from North Texas.

We visited this railroad and museum during the National Railway Historical Society National convention. Great museum and will be getting larger very soon. The railroad understands about customer service. They live excellent every day and it show in both the commercial customers and the visitors on it's excursion trains. Well don AMR