Essex Steam Train Lists the North Pole Express
Published: November 13, 2026
By: Adam Burns
The Essex Steam Train & Riverboat has posted the 2026 North Pole Express. The Christmas page invites riders onto what it calls a locomotive-powered sleigh for a nighttime trip to the North Pole, with Santa and Mrs. Claus, sing-alongs, hot chocolate, and sugar cookies. Each child receives a small gift from Santa. Children are invited to wear pajamas, and the page says to make them warm. Each departure is about 90 minutes round trip. Tickets are online only. The page says questions about this train are not taken by phone.
The Essex Steam Train's North Pole Express. Essex Steam Train photo.
Dates on the Christmas page
The operating dates are printed as four lines. Friday through Sunday, November 20–22. Friday through Sunday, November 27–29. Tuesday through Sunday, December 1–20. Tuesday and Wednesday, December 22 and 23. The printed dates do not include a Monday.
The times are a separate list, and they do not match the date lines one for one. Friday, November 20: 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, November 21–22: 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday dates from November 28 through December 20: 2 p.m. through 8 p.m. on the half hour. Tuesday through Friday dates from December 1 through December 22: 4 p.m. through 8 p.m. on the half hour. Friday, November 27, and Wednesday, December 23: 2 p.m. through 8 p.m. on the half hour.
Fares
Tuesday through Thursday, coach is $60 a seat and first class is $95. Friday through Sunday, and also Tuesday and Wednesday, December 22 and 23, coach is $70 and first class is $105. Premium first class is $120 a seat on every date, on select departures, and it is sold for full-car and half-car purchases. The page says coach is a padded bench, first class is an individual seat with the option of buying beverages, and premium first class adds upgraded bar options and a gift for each passenger. A child under 1 sitting on a parent’s lap does not need a ticket.
All sales are online, first come, first served, and final. The page says there are no refunds, exchanges, or credits. Group blocks, listed as full, half, and quarter cars and as sections of four seats, went on sale Monday, August 3, at 9 a.m. Individual tickets went on sale Wednesday, August 5, at 9 a.m. The header phone is 860-767-0103. The same page says the railroad cannot answer North Pole Express questions by phone, because of the volume of calls about daily summer trips.
What the FAQ adds
The North Pole Express FAQ says tickets are assigned by car, in coach and in first class, and that a party has to buy every seat on one order to be placed in the same car. There are no phone or walk-up sales. Tickets were to be mailed starting the first week of November. An order placed close to the trip is held for pickup at the station ticket window.
The FAQ says to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Parking is at 1 Railroad Avenue, Essex, Connecticut. Boarding begins about 10 minutes before the trip. Trains leave on time. Passengers are to be in their seats five minutes before departure. The railroad says it runs in all weather and may postpone or cancel a trip in an extreme case. A change is to be posted on the railroad Facebook page and the website home page by noon on the day of the trip. The Essex Steam Train page on this site is the encyclopedia entry.
Related reading on American-Rails.com
Sources
- Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, “Christmas 2026,” essexsteamtrain.com/christmas-2025/, read November 13, 2026. Operating dates, the separate time list, coach and first-class fares, premium first class at $120, and the note that North Pole Express questions are not taken by phone.
- Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, “North Pole Express FAQs,” essexsteamtrain.com/experiences-2/north-pole-express-faqs/, read November 13, 2026. Assigned by car. Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Parking at 1 Railroad Avenue, Essex, CT. No phone or walk-up sales.
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