Virginia Scenic Railway Dining (2026): Blue Ridge Flyer and Sunday Brunch

Published: September 22, 2026

Staunton’s Virginia Scenic Railway puts a real plated meal on the Blue Ridge Flyer. You book Dining Class, choose the entrée when you reserve, and the kitchen delivers it to the table on a three-hour trip east through the Blue Ridge Tunnel to Ivy. The same Dining Class is sold on the westbound Alleghany Special. A separate seated meal, Sunday Brunch, leaves Louisa at 10:30 a.m. Coach and the dome car do not get that plate. They can pre-order a boxed lunch. Wine tasting, beer tasting, and murder mystery are other tickets.

Virginia Scenic Railway excursion in the fall

A Virginia Scenic Railway excursion during central Virginia's beautiful autumns. VSR photo.

About the Virginia Scenic Railway

VSR opened in 2022 on the Buckingham Branch, the freight short line that runs the old Chesapeake & Ohio between Richmond and Clifton Forge. Public trains leave two depots. Staunton boarding is 415 Bridge Street. Louisa is the Central Virginia end, and 2026 is when that schedule grew. The Flyer is the eastbound show: rock cuts, the climb, and the Blue Ridge Tunnel, nearly a mile of bore. The Alleghany Special goes west from Staunton toward Goshen and the national forest. Both are about three hours. The railroad says meals are plated on board and have to be ordered in advance.

2026 seated meals — At a glance

Item	Detail
Product	Blue Ridge Flyer Dining Class (Staunton). Same class on the Alleghany Special. Sunday Brunch (Louisa)
Location	415 Bridge Street, Staunton. Sunday Brunch departs Louisa
2026 schedule	Blue Ridge Flyer posted at 3:30 p.m., about three hours, turn at Ivy. Alleghany Special posted at 10:30 a.m. Sunday Brunch posted at 10:30 a.m. from Louisa, about three hours toward Massie. Confirm the live calendar
Duration	About 3 hours
Meal	Dining Class: chef-plated entrée and dessert, chosen at booking. Sunday Brunch: starter plus a brunch plate (quiche, Monte Cristo, or biscuit sandwiches on the posted menu). Dome and coach: optional boxed lunch, not the dinner
Typical fares	Flyer from $69 coach to about $138 with dining. Dining Class listed at $136 (all ages) and adults-only dining at $141 (21+). Sunday Brunch about $132–$140
Official site	virginiascenicrailway.com

Menus, dates, and fares change. Confirm on the railroad before you book. Information compiled September 21, 2026.

What the ride is like

Dining Class is a table and a chair, not a coach seat with a box on your lap. The Staunton menu posted for the signature trains has included a chicken-and-quinoa bowl, honey-barbecue pulled pork, and a smoked-turkey panini, plus dessert. You pick before you go. The crew already has the order when you sit down. Coffee, soda, tea, and water come with the ride; wine and beer are for sale. Adults-only dining, 21+, is a separate car with private tables up to four, at $141.

The Flyer’s scenery is the tunnel and the east slope. The Alleghany Special is the morning trip the other direction, same kitchen. Sunday Brunch is the Louisa train: bread service, then a brunch entrée, coffee included, mimosas and local beer for sale, countryside toward Charlottesville. It is a daylight meal, not the Staunton tunnel trip.

Tickets & practical

Booking: virginiascenicrailway.com. Advance reservations. Meal choice is part of checkout. No outside food or drink
Station / parking: Staunton is 415 Bridge Street, off I-81 Exit 222 and U.S. 250. Louisa has its own boarding point on the brunch ticket
Age / alcohol: Family Dining Class is all ages. The $141 dining car is 21+. Dome and coach take families and sell a boxed lunch if you want one
Sip & Savor is the wine train, on its own page. Ales & Rails is the beer tasting. Murder on the Menu and the dinner-theater train (from about $167, 16+) stay on the mystery page

Virginia Scenic Railway Dining (2026): Blue Ridge Flyer and Sunday Brunch

About the Virginia Scenic Railway

2026 seated meals — At a glance

What the ride is like

Tickets & practical

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