TVRM Valentine Train Ride (2026): Chattanooga Dates, Tickets & What to Expect
Last revised: September 17, 2026
By: Adam Burns
Chattanooga’s Valentine Train Ride is the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s seated multi-course dinner on restored cars from Grand Junction Depot. The 2026 season was February 6–15, including Valentine’s Day. Typical run time is about 2–3 hours from boarding to return. Tables of four, Pullman sections for two, and private dining in B&O office car No. 98 are the seating styles TVRM lists. This is the Valentine dinner product. The museum’s regular Chattanooga Dinner Train Experience (three-course, about 2–3 hours, from $110, March–October window) stays on the Tennessee dinner hub until it has its own leaf. Dinner in the Depot is a depot meal plus a ride, not this page.
Southern Railway 2-8-0 #630, one of TVRM’s premier locomotives, during a visit to the North Carolina Transportation Museum in spring 2013. Dan Robie photo. Valentine dinner uses restored passenger cars at Grand Junction; steam on a given night is not guaranteed unless the listing says so.
About the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
TVRM began as an NRHS chapter in 1960 and incorporated in 1961. Public excursions from a permanent Chattanooga plant date to 1972. Valentine trains leave Grand Junction Depot, 4119 Cromwell Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee (Eastern time). The collection is operating equipment: Southern steam, diesels such as TAG GP38 No. 80, and heavyweight and lightweight cars from Southern, Central of Georgia, Missouri Pacific, and others. Arrive early for check-in.
Related: Tennessee dinner trains · National dinner hub
2026 Valentine Train Ride — At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Valentine Train Ride (plated dinner) |
| Location | Grand Junction Depot, 4119 Cromwell Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| 2026 season | February 6–15, 2026 (that window has closed). Watch tvrail.com for 2027 dates |
| Duration | About 2–3 hours |
| Meal | Multi-course plated dinner with table service |
| Typical fares | Confirm on tvrail.com. Do not invent a 2026 fare |
| Official site | tvrail.com |
Menus, dates, and fares change. Confirm on the museum before you book. Information compiled September 16, 2026.
What the evening is like
Warm lighting, set tables, and a round-trip evening run from Grand Junction. Dining-car tables (often up to four), Pullman section tables for two, and the private B&O office car are how you scale the night from a couple to a small group. TVRM advises checking the event calendar for which nights and departure times are actually offered inside the February window. February 14 sells first.
Missionary Ridge Local and other daytime rides are not the Valentine dinner. Holiday and Polar-style products, if TVRM lists them, stay on those series.
Tickets & practical
- Booking: tvrail.com. Book early for February 14 and weekend nights
- Station / parking: Grand Junction Depot, 4119 Cromwell Road. Plan extra time for check-in
- Age / alcohol: Follow the event listing. This is an evening plated dinner
- Regular Chattanooga Dinner Train Experience (from $110, March–October as posted) is on Tennessee dinner trains
Related reading on American-Rails.com
Always verify 2026 dates, menus, and prices on the railroad’s official site. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.
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