Alabama Scenic Train Rides (2026): What to know before you go

The useful part

Calera, south of Birmingham, runs standard-gauge excursions on a piece of the old L&N through December 20, 2026. Seen here is preserved and restored S2 #484, originally built in 1949 for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western as #484. It is currently lettered for the railroad's Mercury & Chase tourist line and wears an NC&StL-inspired livery.

How it works

• Coup's 1872 flats, the Ringling train's sections and car counts, the 1918 Hammond wreck, and the last show on May 21, 2017.
• Wine trains, pumpkin trains, and Santa trains are not the ordinary scenic ticket.
• State Rail History (Brief) Alabama's first railroad was the Tuscumbia Railway, chartered January 16, 1830, and opened in 1832.
• The Tuscumbia, Courtland & Decatur, incorporated January 13, 1832, and finished in June 1834, stretched the route to 45 miles.

What to take from it

The Memphis & Charleston bought it in 1850 and later became part of the Southern, the Memphis gateway where the IC, the GM&O, and the L&N all met. The L&N, the Frisco, the Central of Georgia, and the Seaboard family covered the mineral belt and the Gulf. Heart of Dixie on the L&N's Alabama Mineral line, and the Chase museum on the NC&StL.

Example or evidence

• Facebook X Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Messenger Recent Articles Illinois Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide Oct 02, 26 12:28 AM Illinois tourist trains in 2026—Illinois Railway Museum,...
• Tourist Railroads & Excursions Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum The museum, the state's official railroad museum, is at 1919 9th Street in Calera.
• Excursions use the Calera & Shelby on the old Louisville & Nashville Alabama Mineral line.
• Saturday trips to Ozan Vineyard are a different boarding point and a different product: the train, the tasting, and the food are at the vineyard on Highway 301, and the meal is served at Ozan, not plated in...

Details worth keeping

Adam Burns Alabama's train rides are three different machines. An excursion at the North Alabama Railroad Museum at Chase. The 2026 season runs March 1 through December 20.

Related coverage

• American Rails: 2026 Alabama Christmas trains—Heart of Dixie North Pole Express in Calera (Nov. 13–Dec. 20) and North Alabama Santa Train / North Star Limited at Chase. Not Polar Express.
• American Rails: Georgia tourist trains in 2026—Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, SAM Shortline, Azalea Sprinter, Savannah shop rides, and what to confirm at Stone Mountain.
• American Rails: Arkansas tourist trains in 2026—Arkansas & Missouri through the Boston Mountains, and the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas dinner and excursion trains.
• American Rails: Louisiana has no regular full-size tourist railroad in 2026. New Orleans Polar Express returns December 11–31. Museums at Long Leaf, DeQuincy, and Jackson.