The Indiana Christmas Train is a 90-minute holiday ride on vintage passenger cars out of Pleasant Lake, a small town in Steuben County about two and a half hours north of Indianapolis up I-69 and roughly 45 minutes past Fort Wayne. Santa visits every train and there is live music on board. A Christmas Kitchen car bakes holiday treats on the way for the families seated in it. It runs only eight days in December. The volunteers of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, the group that restored the Nickel Plate Road No. 765 steam locomotive, run it as a fundraiser for rail preservation, though this train runs behind one of the railroad’s diesels. For the closer rides, see our list of holiday train rides in Indiana.
Indiana Christmas Train 2026: Dates, Times and Tickets
- Dates: Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21 and 22, 2026. That is three weekends plus the Monday and Tuesday before Christmas.
- Departures: Saturdays at noon, 2:15, 4:30 and 6:45 p.m.; Sundays at noon, 2:15 and 4:30 p.m.; Dec. 21 and 22, 2026, at 2:15, 4:30 and 6:45 p.m.
- Where: Board at 1469 W. Main St., Pleasant Lake, which is also the ADA parking. General parking is at 1525 Main St.
- Deluxe Coach: $45 for adults and $35 for ages 4 to 17, or $135 for a family package of four. Kids 3 and under ride free in Deluxe Coach if they sit on a lap.
- First Class and up: $115 a person in the Pullman Lounge, $145 for a private booth for two, $275 for a table for four and $395 for a private table for four in the Christmas Kitchen car. The Lawton Park private car seats up to 28 for $1,500.
- Cocktail Class (21 and up): $69 a person or $270 for a table for four, Saturdays only.
- Buying: Prices do not include processing fees. Tickets are sold through the Indiana Christmas Train ticket office, and some departures, including the opening Saturday, were already marked low on seats by mid-October, so don’t sit on it.
Indiana Christmas Train
The Ride
The trip is a round trip of about 90 minutes from the Pleasant Lake depot, an 1882 Lake Shore and Michigan Southern station that is on the National Register of Historic Places, out through the farm fields of northeast Indiana and back. Santa rides every train and comes through the cars to greet families, so kids get their visit right from their seats. Live music plays on board, and Travelin’ Toms Coffee serves hot chocolate and seasonal drinks at the station before you board.
The Christmas Kitchen car, New York Central No. 48, has its own chef baking holiday treats during the ride. Guests at its tables get them during Santa’s visit in the observation lounge, and Santa’s elves pour hot chocolate in every First Class car.
Which Ticket to Buy
Deluxe Coach
This is the family ticket: climate-controlled coach seats, Santa’s visit and the music. Food is not included, but you can bring your own snacks and nonalcoholic drinks. Small coolers are fine; big two-handled ones are not. ADA seats are in Deluxe Coach only, and the railroad’s ADA car has a wheelchair lift and an ADA restroom. The historic cars have narrow aisles and doorways, so contact the ticket agent through the railroad’s site before you buy if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair.
First Class
First Class adds a holiday gift and refreshments served on the ride: coffee, soft drinks, sparkling cider and hot chocolate, along with holiday treats. The Christmas Kitchen private table is the one to book if the treats baked on board are the draw.
Cocktail Class and Private Car
Cocktail Class is grown-ups only, with a cash bar, lounge and table seats, electric fireplaces, light refreshments and its own live entertainment, and only guests with Cocktail Class tickets can go into that car. It runs on Saturdays only. The heated Lawton Park lounge car can be chartered for a family group or party of up to 28 on Dec. 21 and 22, 2026, and on select other dates. Groups in the private car can bring their own gifts for Santa to hand out and bring their own food and drinks. The railroad also offers group rates in Deluxe Coach and First Class, which is the cheaper route for a scout troop or a big extended family.
Tips for the Trip
- Book together. Seats are not assigned, so buy your whole group on one reservation if you want to sit together.
- Get there 30 minutes early. The railroad asks riders to be at the boarding site 30 minutes before departure and releases unclaimed seats for resale 10 minutes before the train leaves.
- Save the email. Tickets are emailed as soon as you buy, and the confirmation has the parking and boarding details. Check your spam folder if it doesn’t show up.
- Wear real shoes and dress warm. The railroad asks for sturdy, closed-toe shoes and warns that its boarding sites can have gravel, uneven footing and high steps up into the cars. Between that and the narrow aisles, plan on folding the stroller.
- Restrooms are on board. Every train has restrooms, and there are restrooms at the boarding site.
- Leave room in the schedule. The trains run rain or shine, and the railroad says its times can shift with freight traffic, so don’t book a tight dinner reservation after.
- Know the refund rule. Refunds are available only 30 or more days before your trip, carry a 25% service charge and are issued only if there is a waitlist for your ticket class. Closer than 30 days, the railroad offers a credit or a rebooking instead, and a missed train is not refunded.
- Leave pets at home. Service animals are welcome.
Make a Weekend of It
Pleasant Lake is a few miles south of Angola, so the train pairs well with a night in the lakes area. Pokagon State Park’s toboggan run is just outside Angola, and Auburn’s National Auto and Truck Museum is on the way up I-69.
With younger kids who won’t last 90 minutes, the same railroad’s Reindeer Run is a shorter, one-hour Santa ride over Thanksgiving weekend, one day each from Edon, Ohio, and Hudson and South Milford in Indiana, with Deluxe Coach fares of $17 for kids and $30 for adults. For more ideas up and down the state, see our Indiana day trips, and for holiday plans closer to home, our guide to holiday fun in Indianapolis.
