The Cowtown Santa Express — Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad

The Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad runs The Cowtown Santa Express from the 1887 Rock Island Depot in Abilene, Kansas. The operator describes antique passenger coaches that sparkle with holiday lights, cookies and hot chocolate, the music of the season and, of course, Santa himself, who makes his holiday debut on the train. It bills the ride as its annual Christmas tradition.

Tickets are sold by car. According to the operator, tickets for the Eveland Creek car are sold by the table of four, while tickets for the Chicago and Enterprise cars are sold individually.

The train leaves from the depot at the north end of Old Abilene Town. The depot, built in 1887 for the Rock Island Railroad and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, houses the free Fred Schmidt Railroad Museum, which has a G-scale model railroad and a working telegraph apparatus.

A holiday train ride in antique coaches decorated with lights, with cookies, hot chocolate, seasonal music and a visit from Santa. The operator does not publish the length of the ride on its event page.

Departs from the 1887 Rock Island Depot, 200 SE 5th Street, Old Abilene Town, Abilene, Kansas. Eveland Creek car tickets are sold by the table of four; Chicago and Enterprise car tickets are sold individually. Tickets are sold through the railroad’s Etix ticketing page, linked from its website. Admission to the Fred Schmidt Railroad Museum in the depot is free; donations are accepted.