Christmas at the Station — Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Christmas at the Station is the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum's daytime holiday event, offered as an alternative to its evening-only North Pole Express. The operator says guests ride the seasonally decorated train, visit Santa for a festive photo and board a narrow-gauge steam train for a trip down Candy Cane Lane; all of it is included with the Christmas Experience tickets.

The operator lists how the daytime event differs from the evening one. The Shelby & Southern Railroad narrow-gauge train runs only during the daytime event, as do the craft and holiday-gift vendors on the grounds. Photos with Santa happen on the museum grounds rather than on the train, no food or drink is served on board, the Christmas carols heard on the train are pre-recorded rather than live, and the train is in motion for the whole ride, with no extended stop at the North Pole. First-class upgrades are not offered during this event.

Food trucks and gift vendors are on the grounds, and the operator suggests enjoying lunch and sweet snacks there and doing some last-minute shopping. Cars and seats are unassigned, and caboose and locomotive tickets may be available.

The operator gives a ride length of about 45 minutes on a seasonally decorated train with pre-recorded carols. Santa is visited for a photo on the museum grounds, a narrow-gauge steam train runs down Candy Cane Lane, and food trucks and craft and gift vendors are on the grounds. Boarding begins 15 minutes before each departure.

Departs from the Calera Depot, 1919 9th Street, Calera, Alabama. Tickets are bought in advance online; walk-up purchases may be made at the Calera Depot before boarding on the day of the event, if tickets remain. Boarding begins 15 minutes before each departure. Cars and seats are unassigned. Caboose and locomotive tickets may be available. Neither food nor drink is served on board the train during this event.