Scenic Dinner Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Last revised: September 28, 2026
By: Adam Burns
A dinner train, on this page, is a seated meal served on the train: dinner, brunch, or a plated lunch, usually two to four hours long. The state pages below are the 2026 calendars, checked at the end of the season. Several of those seasons have already run. A railroad that is quiet in October often posts the next year’s dates in late winter or spring. Start with the state, then confirm the railroad before you book. Wine tastings, whiskey trains, Polar Express trips, and Christmas trains are separate tickets. Amtrak’s dining cars are the national passenger network, not these excursion trains.
Restored Chesapeake & Ohio F7A #8016 (built as Clinchfield F3A #800) leads a Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad excursion across the Sycamore Bridge on the former B&O's Petersburg Branch in West Virginia. This railroad is an upscale attraction offering guests dining/food options within climate-controlled cars. Loyd Lowry photo.
Still listed after September 28
These 2026 dates were still ahead when the state pages were compiled. Branson’s dinner runs Fridays and Saturdays through October 30. Cape Cod’s posted dinner season runs through October 24. TVRM’s Chattanooga Dinner Train is select Fridays and Saturdays through October 24. The Azalea Sprinter added October 23. The Adirondack Dinner Train still listed October 15. Hocking Valley’s Elegant Dinner Train is October 17 and November 7. Seminole Gulf’s mystery dinner runs through November 15. The Essex Clipper, in Connecticut, lists October weekends through October 25. Cincinnati’s public dinner is Saturdays into December. My Old Kentucky Dinner Train is posted year-round, typically Friday and Saturday. Wisconsin Great Northern runs through December 17, and the Smoky Valley Limited has dates listed through December 31. Potomac Eagle, the Western Maryland Scenic dinner, and Cafe Lafayette were still inside seasons posted through October. Napa’s plated lunch and dinner, and the Eureka Springs dinner train, did not print a closing date.
Dinner trains by state
| State | 2026 meal |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Heart of Dixie rides to Ozan Vineyard. The meal is at the winery |
| Arizona | No plated dinner on the train. Grand Canyon Railway sells snacks. Meals are in Williams or at the rim |
| Arkansas | Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Dinner Train, about 2 hours, $53.62 tax included |
| California | Napa Valley Wine Train plated lunch and dinner. River Fox brunch. Roaring Camp’s meal is at camp |
| Colorado | Royal Gorge First Class, three courses, about 2 hours, from $199+, ages 12 and older |
| Florida | Seminole Gulf, five courses cooked onboard, 3½ hours, $129 or $135 Saturday, plus tax and gratuity |
| Georgia | Azalea Sprinter, 2½ hours. Club Car adult $147. Executive adult $177 |
| Illinois | Monticello Murder Mystery Dinner Train, $112. The four 2026 Saturdays have run |
| Indiana | Spirit of Jasper Ride & Dine. The public 2026 season is paused |
| Iowa | Boone & Scenic Valley Wolf Dinner and Wolf Lunch, Saturdays May–October as posted |
| Kansas | Smoky Valley Limited, about two hours, about $72–$110, dates listed into December 31 |
| Kentucky | My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, Bardstown, four courses, 2.5 hours, adult $116 |
| Maine | No dining-car dinner. The June 13 pig roast was at a farm, and that day has run |
| Maryland | Western Maryland Scenic Allegheny Mountain Dinner Train, Saturday 7:00 p.m., about 3 hours, 21+ |
| Massachusetts | Cape Cod Dinner Train, four courses, about 3–3½ hours, First Class from $99.99 |
| Michigan | Steam Railroading Institute, Owosso. No 2026 public dinner dates posted |
| Minnesota | Northwoods Dinner Train, Duluth, four courses, $90. The posted window ran through September 26 |
| Missouri | Branson Scenic, three courses, about 2 hours, through October 30. Dome $123.50 plus tax |
| Montana | Charlie Russell Chew Choo, about 4.5 hours, adult $151. Listed 2026 dates were sold out |
| Nevada | Nevada Northern Taste of Italy, adults only. The September 19 gala has run |
| New Hampshire | Cafe Lafayette, North Woodstock, five courses, from $125. Children under 6 are not allowed |
| New Jersey | Woodstown Central Dining in Motion, a prepared box, private table of four from $190 |
| New York | Adirondack Dinner Train, Utica, about 3 hours, First Class from $139. October 15 still listed |
| North Carolina | Spencer Wine & Dine has run. Great Smoky Mountains First Class is the plated meal on the Nantahala Gorge trip |
| Ohio | Cincinnati Dinner Train, Saturdays, $140, ages 12 and older. Hocking Valley, October 17 and November 7, from $95 |
| Oregon | No plated dinner. Mount Hood is a scenic ride. Oregon Coast Scenic’s evening train is sandwiches |
| Pennsylvania | Colebrookdale Dining Class and Strasburg’s Dinner on the Rails / Elegant Express |
| Tennessee | TVRM Chattanooga Dinner Train, select Fri/Sat through October 24, 6:00 p.m., from $110 |
| Texas | No plated dinner on the train. Grapevine’s premium car is snacks. The Texas State Railroad’s Dogwood lunch was at the depot |
| Virginia | Virginia Scenic Dining Class and Sunday Brunch from Louisa. About $132–$141 |
| Washington | Chehalis-Centralia dinners have run. The July 18 Roaring 20s dinner was $89 |
| West Virginia | Potomac Eagle, about 3 hours. Premium $124. Superior $159, ages 17 and older |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Great Northern, Trego, $105, through December 17 |
Fares are the figures on the railroad pages linked from each state guide. A sold-out date, a paused season, and a meal served at the depot are spelled out on that state page. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets. Information compiled September 28, 2026.
Connecticut and Rhode Island
These two dinner trains have their own pages. Neither has a state hub yet.
- Connecticut: The Essex Clipper is a four-course dinner on the Valley Railroad, 2.5 hours, $129.99, ages 18 and older. October weekends are listed through October 25.
- Rhode Island: Grand Bellevue Grand Dining in Portsmouth ran March 13 through August 29. Fall and winter dates were still to be announced.
South Carolina is not in this directory. No 2026 seated meal was confirmed for a state page.
Related reading
Always verify 2026 dates, menus, and prices on the railroad’s official site. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.
Recent Articles
-
Baldwin "Baby Face" Locomotives: Specs, Photos, Roster
Oct 30, 26 11:01 PM
Baldwin's Babyface cab on the early road diesels: 50 short-cab units, 1946-1948, plus the related Centipede. Construction numbers, specs, and the sharknose that followed. -
California High-Speed Rail Chief Resigns
Oct 30, 26 08:36 PM
Ian Choudri resigned October 28, 2026 as chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The board named Joe Stephenshaw interim chief executive. -
The 1910 Portal Bridge Is Handed Over for Demolition
Oct 30, 26 04:03 PM
Amtrak handed the 1910 Portal Bridge over for demolition on October 29, 2026, during the final cutover to Portal North. Regular NJ Transit and Amtrak schedules are expected November 15. -
Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Merger Review Runs to 2027
Oct 30, 26 03:59 PM
Union Pacific says the Surface Transportation Board's review of the Norfolk Southern merger gathers information through May 28, 2027. A closing still depends on board approval. -
Amtrak Board Will Hear Restructuring Comments on November 10
Oct 30, 26 03:41 PM
Amtrak's board will hear public comments on its restructuring on November 10, 2026, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Written comments were due October 30. A proposal goes to the board in December. -
Canadian Pacific Selkirk 5931 Restored in Calgary
Oct 30, 26 01:36 PM
Heritage Park in Calgary unveiled a cosmetic restoration of Canadian Pacific 2-10-4 No. 5931 on October 27, 2026. One of two surviving Selkirks. It stays on display. -
Gettysburg Railway to Host Steam for Lincoln
Oct 30, 26 01:18 PM
Northern Central Railway of York No. 17 will recreate Lincoln's arrival at Gettysburg on November 18, 2026, with public steam trips November 19-21. -
NC&StL No. 576 to Steam for the Public in Nashville
Oct 30, 26 01:00 PM
Nashville Steam will fire NC&StL 4-8-4 No. 576 for the public on November 7, 2026, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 220 Willow Street. Admission is free. -
Pennsylvania Railroad E8s Join the T1 Trust
Oct 30, 26 12:38 PM
The T1 Trust has acquired former Pennsylvania Railroad E8A diesels 5702A and 5761A from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. They are bound for Cumberland. -
Ligonier Valley Railroad: History, Roster, Timetable
Oct 30, 26 12:03 PM
The Ligonier Valley Railroad ran 10.5 miles from Latrobe to Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Opened December 1, 1877. Last day August 31, 1952. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 30, 26 10:25 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western diesel locomotives, each frame once. Thirteen Alcos, three Lima-Hamilton switchers, and 26 Electro-Motive units. -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Steam Roster
Oct 30, 26 09:14 AM
Toledo, Peoria & Western steam locomotives from the Rogers Consolidations of 1895 through the 4-8-4s of 1937 -
Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway: Map, Roster, History
Oct 29, 26 11:12 PM
History of the Toledo, Peoria & Western. The Peoria & Oquawka, George P. McNear, the Santa Fe and Pennsylvania years, and the railroad that came back in 1989. -
Cotton Belt Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 29, 26 07:58 PM
St. Louis Southwestern diesel locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, F units, and new Cotton Belt-lettered power through the GP60s of May 1990. -
Cotton Belt Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 29, 26 06:52 PM
St. Louis Southwestern steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Ten-Wheelers, and twenty class L-1 4-8-4s. The quantity column is 297. -
Cotton Belt Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 29, 26 10:56 AM
History of the St. Louis Southwestern, the Cotton Belt Route. The Tyler Tap, Paramore's silver spike, the Thebes Bridge, the Blue Streak, and Southern Pacific control. Steam and diesel rosters are sep… -
Pere Marquette Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 11:54 PM
Pere Marquette steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, and 39 Berkshires. The quantity column is 503. -
Pere Marquette Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 11:48 PM
Pere Marquette diesel locomotives, each frame once. Two SW1s, 14 NW2s, three GE 70-tonners, eight E7As, and six BL2s delivered lettered Chesapeake and Ohio. The quantity column is 33. -
Pere Marquette Railway: Map, Logo, Rosters, History
Oct 28, 26 11:44 PM
History of the Pere Marquette Railway. Timber roads, the Prince years, the Van Sweringens, the Ludington car ferries, and the Chesapeake and Ohio merger of June 6, 1947. -
Nickel Plate Road (Railroad): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 28, 26 10:51 PM
History of the Nickel Plate Road, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis. The Seney syndicate, the Van Sweringens, the Berkshires, and the Norfolk and Western absorption at 12:01 a.m. on October 16, 1964… -
Nickel Plate Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:48 PM
Nickel Plate diesel locomotives, each frame once. Alco switchers and PAs, GP7s and GP9s, and the GP30s. The quantity column is 440. The 1950 fleet was 117. -
Nickel Plate Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:43 PM
Nickel Plate steam locomotives built since 1900, including the Lake Erie and Western, the Clover Leaf, and the Wheeling engines that took Nickel Plate numbers. The quantity column is 786. -
EMD "E9" Locomotives: Specs, Roster, History
Oct 28, 26 10:37 PM
EMD E9 cab units and boosters, 2,400 horsepower, built April 1954 through January 1964. Gear ratios, specifications, and the production roster by owner, serial, and order. -
NYC 4-6-4 #5344, "Commodore Vanderbilt"
Oct 28, 26 04:31 PM
NYC J-1e Hudson 5344, the Commodore Vanderbilt. Alco, November 1931. Carl Kantola’s shroud, December 1934, then a Dreyfuss bullet nose in 1939. Scrapped at Collinwood in 1954. -
New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois Railroad: A South Bend Shortline
Oct 28, 26 11:05 AM
The New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois, the Jersey Line, ran from South Bend to Pine. Singer built it in 1905. Wabash stock control came in 1926. Two diesels, and the steam the record names. -
Monon Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 10:13 AM
Monon diesel locomotives, each frame once. F3s, nine BL2s, the C420s, and eight U23Bs. The quantity column is 96. The 1951 fleet was 57. -
Monon Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 10:09 AM
Monon steam locomotives built since 1900. Twelve-Wheelers, Mikados, light Pacifics, and thirteen six-wheel switchers. The quantity column is 148. -
Monon Railroad: Map, Photos, History, Logo
Oct 28, 26 09:55 AM
History of the Monon, the Hoosier Line. The New Albany & Salem, the X at Monon, Barriger's streamliners, and the Louisville & Nashville merger of July 31, 1971. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 28, 26 09:48 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas. 406 locomotives, each frame once. Baldwin switchers, Alco cab units, F units, Geeps, and the SD40-2s. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 28, 26 09:43 AM
Missouri-Kansas-Texas steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Mikados, Pacifics, and the narrow-gauge shop tanks. The quantity column is 715. -
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy): Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 11:02 PM
History of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, the Katy. The race into Indian Territory, Gould, the 1923 railroad, the Texas Special, and the 1988 sale. Steam and diesel rosters are linked. -
Soo Line Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:55 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Soo Line and the Wisconsin Central. 786 locomotives, each frame once. Cab units, Geeps, the Milwaukee Road engines, and the SD60s. The South Shore's 24 stay on that page. -
Soo Line Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:49 PM
Soo Line and Wisconsin Central steam locomotives built since 1900. Consolidations, Mikados, Pacifics, 21 Mountains, and four Lima 4-8-4s. -
Soo Line Railroad: Map, Logo, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:24 PM
The Soo Line, from the flour millers' railroad around Chicago to the Sault, the Wisconsin Central, and the Milwaukee Road. Steam quantity 422. Diesels 786. Canadian Pacific took full control in 1990. -
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway: Map, History, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 10:32 AM
The Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern, the Dan Patch Line that became a Twin Cities belt. Steam, gas-electric mules, motor cars, and the 22 diesels, through the Soo Line. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 27, 26 10:27 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Minneapolis & St. Louis. 97 locomotives, each frame once. Switchers from 1938, 35 RS-1s, the FT and F-unit cabs, two SD7s, and 23 GP9s. Builder numbers included. -
Minneapolis & St. Louis Steam Roster (Post 1900)
Oct 27, 26 10:25 AM
Minneapolis & St. Louis steam locomotives built since 1900. Moguls, Consolidations, 35 Mikados, and five Pacifics. -
Minneapolis and St Louis Railway: "The Peoria Gateway"
Oct 27, 26 09:52 AM
The Minneapolis & St. Louis, the Tootin' Louie, from the 1870 charter to the Peoria Gateway and the Chicago & North Western sale on November 1, 1960. -
Alco "PA" Locomotives: Restoration, Specs, Engine, Rosters
Oct 27, 26 12:12 AM
Alco's PA passenger cab, 297 locomotives built from 1946 to 1953. The 244 engine, the production roster, the Delaware & Hudson PA-4s, and Nickel Plate Road 190. -
Milwaukee Road Diesel Roster: (All Time)
Oct 26, 26 01:44 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Milwaukee Road. 1,208 locomotives, each frame once. Alco, Baldwin, Davenport, EMD, Fairbanks-Morse, General Electric, and Whitcomb, with builder numbers. -
Milwaukee Road Steam Roster (All-Time): Post-1900
Oct 26, 26 01:38 PM
Milwaukee Road steam locomotives built since 1900. Prairies, Mikados, the N-class articulateds, the S-class 4-8-4s, and the Hiawatha Atlantics and Hudsons. Quantity column 1,974. Unique frames 1,951. -
Milwaukee Road: Map, Electrification, Logo, History
Oct 26, 26 01:20 PM
The Milwaukee Road, from the Milwaukee & Mississippi of 1850 to the Pacific Coast Extension, the Hiawathas, and the Soo Line sale. Why Lines West should have stayed. -
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad: Map, Roster, History
Oct 25, 26 11:38 PM
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad, reporting mark LSI, from the Marquette Range to the Presque Isle ore dock. The 1954 steam list and the diesels the railroad owned. -
Kansas City Southern Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 25, 26 09:09 PM
Steam locomotives of the Kansas City Southern built since 1900, with the Louisiana & Arkansas and the Texas company. -
Kansas City Southern Diesel Roster (Built New)
Oct 25, 26 11:46 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Kansas City Southern. E units, F units, Geeps, SD40s through SD70ACes, Fairbanks-Morse, Baldwin, Alco, and General Electric, with serials and order numbers. -
Kansas City Southern Railway: Map, Photos, History
Oct 25, 26 12:24 AM
The Kansas City Southern, from Arthur Stilwell's Gulf line to Canadian Pacific Kansas City on April 14, 2023. Steam and diesel rosters, the Southern Belle, and the Louisiana & Arkansas. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 25, 26 12:17 AM
All-time diesel roster of the Indiana Harbor Belt. 202 locomotive frames, each counted once. NW2s, SW7s, SW1500s, road switchers, and gensets. Slugs and boosters are outside the count. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Steam Roster (Built Since 1900)
Oct 25, 26 12:13 AM
Steam locomotives of the Indiana Harbor Belt built since 1900. 182 engines, each counted once. 0-6-0s, 2-6-0s, 0-8-0s, and 2-8-2s. The three U-4a switchers are three-cylinder Brooks engines of 1927. -
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad: Map, Rosters, History
Oct 25, 26 12:00 AM
Indiana Harbor Belt, the inner belt across the Calumet, from the East Chicago Belt of May 16, 1896. Renamed June 29, 1907. Still operating, headquarters Hammond. Steam roster is the companion, 182 loc… -
NYC's "P Motor" Electric Locomotives
Oct 24, 26 11:43 PM
New York Central P motors: 22 Alco-GE 2-C+C-2 electrics, Cleveland Union Terminal 1050–1071, class P-1a. 3,030 hp one-hour on 3,000-volt DC catenary, then 660-volt third rail as P-2a and P-2b.
