Steam Railroading Institute

Wow, whole family had a blast. Was invited to ride in the caboose of the North Pole Express train. It was a great experience. The kids got to drink hot chocolate, have cookies and sit up top in the caboose and watch the world go by. We had our own private conductor who punched the tickets spelling everyone’s name out on their ticket very similar to the movie. We enjoyed the train ride to a small organized village where there were many things to see and do. Kids made toys, sat on Santa’s lap, got to see flame throwers, and reindeer. Their were many interesting stores and things to buy and see. All in all a fun exciting event for the whole family. The volunteers were knowledgeable and delightful. Received souvenir coco cups which will always be a reminder of a great time.

The train ride was not as good as I thought it should be. the train we took was the the economy tickets and ended up in a train that was not very good. Also the village of ashley was not a Northpole like place.
No elves. The best part was the Santa and Mrs Claus at the end.

The overall experience was okay. We came from NW Indiana for this experience and we were a bit disappointed. The experience with the train was good. The volunteers were phenomenal. I feel the ticket price for the train ride was a bit overpriced, though. Upon arrival to the «North Pole» is where we became disappointed. If you are taking little kids who are expecting a «North Pole» experience, you will be disappointed. It takes you to a small town where the residents basically put on a small carnival. Hardly any elves, and it hardly displayed any festivity. Overall, your taking a train to a Christmas themed small carnival. Do not tell your kids it’s the North Pole.

Wow, this place is amazing. This is a must see for all. Ride the polar express. Should be 6 stars or more.

This review would normally have included all the fun things and goodies that happened on the North Pole Express train ride, but given the extraordinarily unusual circumstances that happened on our visit Dec 22^nd, 2013, I found it more fitting to comment on the character of the volunteers at the Steam Railroading Institute,
While I can’t comment on SRI as a place to visit on a non-​North Pole Express day, I can only say there is a special place in my family’s heart for the event they put on that is the North Pole Express. I watched as an understaffed group of volunteers, busted their hump to make sure that all was not lost on the last day of the NPE for 2013. Talking with various volunteers & members I found out that they had to fight through hell & high water to get the county to allow even one ride to go out that day, because the ice storm that had rolled though a few hours before created a state of emergency in the county. I heard about crew members in the engine getting injured with splitting ice covered branches and walking into the coal tender in the pitch black to fuel the steam. Beyond that, we were told that we’d have to stay on the train because the Village of Ashley was without power, but even they managed to get the town going, taking generators from their own powerless homes to light the festival. There were even train cars added to our trip to make sure at least some of the customers from the canceled 10am ride could still go.
Some of these people had a 12 – 15 hour day and left homes that didn’t have power, to come and make a bunch of tourists happy. I can’t imagine what they would do on a normal day.

The SRI is a great place to bring both young and old who have an interest in old time steam engines. There is a $ 5.00 donation fee when entering the gate, but the money goes towards the upkeep of the engine itself.
For an additional fee you can receive the opportunity to ride in an antique caboose or have your picture taken in the engine. It’s well worth the trip for anyone who enjoys trains.