Tennessee Dinner Train Rides (2026) : A Complete Guide
Last revised: September 22, 2026
By: Adam Burns
Tennessee’s public dinner train is the Chattanooga Dinner Train at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. A three-course meal is served in the dining cars from Grand Junction. Select Fridays and Saturdays run March 6 through October 24, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The February Valentine train has its own page. Dinner in the Depot is five courses in the station, then a one-hour ride. Whiskey tasting, afternoon tea, and the Nashville mystery are other tickets.
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum offers guests a wide range of excursion options, including food service. Seen here is beautifully restored Southern Railway GP38-2 #5000 leading an excursion. TVRM photo.
At a glance
| Host | Town | 2026 meal | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum | Chattanooga | Chattanooga Dinner Train, select Fri/Sat March 6–October 24, 6:00 p.m., about 2–3 hours, three courses, from $110. Lunch Train is the daytime three-course | Dining guide |
You buy a table. Confirm the live calendar. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets. Information compiled September 22, 2026.
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
(Chattanooga): Boarding is Grand Junction Depot, 4119 Cromwell Road. The evening train rolls through East Chattanooga and comes back. A Dining Car Superintendent still runs the stewards. Steam on a dinner date is assigned only when that listing says so. Listings start from $110 a person. A dining-car table for one or two starts at $260. A Pullman section for one or two starts at $350. Baltimore & Ohio office car 98 is the private upgrade. Dietary requests need 24 hours. The Lunch Train is the Saturday and Sunday daytime three-course, March 15 through early September.
2026: The regular window is March 6–October 24, select Fridays and Saturdays, 6:00 p.m., about 2–3 hours. Dinner in the Depot, from $120, was posted through October 11: five courses in the station, then a one-hour ride. The Chattanooga Christmas Dinner Train is four courses from $115, November 6, 2026 through January 3, 2027. February 6–15 has already run. Those notes are the Valentine page. The year-round dinner is the Chattanooga dining guide. Book on tvrail.com.
The Hiwassee Loop trip from Delano is a five-hour ride with snacks. The Homefront Tea Room is afternoon tea in the depot.
Whiskey, tea, and mystery
These share Tennessee calendars. Each one has its own ticket.
- Tennessee whiskey trains are the tasting evenings, including TVRM dates when the museum posts them.
- Homefront Tea Room is $45 for tea in the depot, or $60 with the Missionary Ridge Local.
- Tennessee Central’s murder mystery is one summer date, about 90 minutes to Watertown and back. The museum page says refreshments are sold in the dining car.
Related reading
Always verify 2026 dates, menus, and prices on the railroad’s official site. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.
Recent Articles
-
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. -
Illinois Terminal Car Roster
Oct 24, 26 11:40 PM
Illinois Terminal cars. Mainline motors, the 1948 streamliners, sleepers, Alton and Valley Division cars, express motors, and the line cars rebuilt from pull cars. -
Illinois Terminal Diesel Roster
Oct 24, 26 09:31 PM
All-time Illinois Terminal diesels, 62 frames. Alco S-2s and RS-1s, EMD switchers, GP7s, SD39s, GP38-2s, and the two GP20s. Serial numbers from the 1989 roster. -
Illinois Terminal Electric Locomotives
Oct 24, 26 08:22 PM
Illinois Terminal electric locomotives, 57 frames. Class A through Class D, the Decatur-built motors, and the battery locomotives. Class D is the same five Class C frames, rebuilt. -
Illinois Terminal Steam Roster
Oct 24, 26 07:37 PM
Illinois Terminal steam locomotives, 36 frames. Baldwin Moguls, three Class 30 Mikados, Florida East Coast 0-8-0s, and 2-6-0 No. 21, the last fire on June 30, 1950. -
Illinois Terminal Railroad: Map, Roster, Photos, History
Oct 24, 26 07:32 PM
Illinois Terminal, McKinley's Illinois Traction System, from the Danville coal towns to St. Louis. The McKinley Bridge, the sleeping cars, the 1937 break with the power company, the 1948 streamliners… -
Southern Railway Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 23, 26 11:00 PM
All-time diesel roster of the Southern Railway. 2,505 locomotives in the system number series, from the 1939 demonstrator FT to GP50s and B30-7A1s. Serials included. -
Illinois Central Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 23, 26 04:06 PM
Illinois Central and Illinois Central Gulf diesel locomotives, each frame once. The quantity column is 886. Serials and order numbers from Electro-Motive's builder lists. Paducah rebuilds and Gulf, Mo… -
Illinois Central Gulf Diesel Roster
Oct 23, 26 04:02 PM
Illinois Central Gulf operating numbers from August 10, 1972, to February 29, 1988. New frames stay on the Illinois Central diesel roster. Gulf, Mobile and Ohio frames stay on that roster. No Gulf fle… -
Illinois Central Railroad: Map, Logo, History
Oct 23, 26 03:50 PM
Illinois Central, the Main Line of Mid-America, from the 1850 land grant to Canadian National control on July 1, 1999. Charter lines, Cairo bridge, Paducah, and the Illinois Central Gulf. Steam quanti… -
Grand Trunk Western Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Oct 23, 26 12:53 PM
Grand Trunk Western diesel locomotives, each frame once. The quantity column is 377. Serials are filled for the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton and Detroit and Toledo Shore Line engines the railroad kept… -
Grand Trunk Western Steam Roster
Oct 23, 26 12:14 PM
Grand Trunk Western steam locomotives in service about 1937 to 1942, from Richard Leonard's class list. Drury has no chapter. The quantity column is the counted Grand Trunk Western rows. Two mixed Gra… -
Grand Trunk Western Railroad: Map, Roster, History
Oct 23, 26 12:09 PM
Grand Trunk Western, reporting mark GTW, Canadian National's railroad between Port Huron and Chicago. Trade name adopted in 1923. Steam class list quantity 232. Diesel quantity column 377. Identity in… -
Green Bay and Western Railroad: Map, Rosters, History
Oct 22, 26 11:18 PM
Green Bay & Western, the Green Bay Route, reporting mark GBW. From Kewaunee to Winona. Mailer's steam and diesel rosters, and the August 1993 sale to Fox Valley & Western. -
Chicago & North Western Class E-4: Streamlined 4-6-4 Hudsons
Oct 22, 26 10:28 PM
C&NW Class E-4, nine streamlined 4-6-4s, 4001–4009, Alco 1938. 84-inch drivers, 25-by-29 cylinders, 300 psi. Conventional Chicago–Omaha trains. Oil in 1947–48. Retired 1953–1956. -
Gateway Western Railway: Map, Roster, History
Oct 22, 26 02:43 PM
Gateway Western Railway, reporting mark GWWR. Class II from Kansas City to East St. Louis. Kansas City Southern control May 5, 1997. The 1992 diesel fleet, with serials and order numbers.
