walkersville southern railroad

This was gift from my Son & Daughter-in-Law to have a special dinner on the train. It was a snowy evening and we boarded the dining car to sit down to a lovely table decorated in red and white with a cheese and fruit platter for us to share. You bring your own wine or cocktails and we did bring a bottle of wine. Our Server was so personable, she is from The Carriage House Inn in Emmitsburg, MD and her service was excellent. We were then served a salad and rolls, I chose a Filet Mignon and my husband chose Chicken Cordon Bleu and they were both very good. A live pianist played while we dined and the train moved along nicely. Dessert was a Cherry cheesecake and a chocolate dipped strawberry with whipped cream. Coffee or tea was also provided. The trip was a total of about 2 hrs and we enjoyed the whole experience. There were about 28 people and reservations are required for special events, but they do offer many different events during the year and they run rain or shine. You should definitely try to make one of their dinners or excursions, we are definately going for another ride!! It was such a nice evening.

A rainy Saturday found us traveling to Walkersville in Frederick County to ride this fun local tourist train. We bought our tickets in a small old restored station/depot building and boarded the train right away. It wasn't too crowded so we found seats immediately. The ride is enjoyable and moves at a steady but relatively slow pace. There is an open observation car at the front of the train but it does have a roof - needed on this rainy day.The conductor was great and answered questions from all who asked. He took our tickets on the ride back. The train passes over a small stream and a large river with nice views.A word of caution - be careful moving between cars with little ones. There were no gates or chains to prevent a child from falling off the platform on one side between our car and the one behind us while we were in motion. There are also no bathroom facilities on the train.

We had our wedding on the train and it was absolutely awesome! The venue was clean, helpful staff and professional. The staff went way above the call of duty to make everything beautiful. For a small venue it was perfect and a little different from just renting a hall. We had guest from all over the country and they enjoyed the scenic beauty of the rolling hills, country, river and even the cows! We are even considering doing again for our anniversary. Thanks Walkersville Southern for everything you did. We love you all and the experience you shared with us of your beautiful train for our wedding.

We had purchased a half-price deal to try out this old-fashioned train ride with my "choo-choo"-obsessed two-year-old, and it was a fun experience for the whole family (kiddo, Mom, Dad, and Grandma). We showed up at about 10:45 on a Saturday` and had no trouble getting a ticket for the 11 AM ride, although the open-air car was already full so we had to sit inside. (Truth be told we probably would have opted to sit inside anyway since wrangling a toddler on the open-air car might have been a challenge).The train ride itself is a little over an hour long, but I think the train's max speed is about 10 mph, so you don't get very far. As you ride along the conductor uses a PA system to tell riders a bit about the history of the rail line and the area. (Contrary to what other reviewers have posted, we had no trouble hearing her talk, but we were also seated in the car where she was speaking, so that helped; if you are a history buff and particularly interested in the lecture you may want to make a point of sitting in the car with the microphone).You pass a few historic homes and farms, plus some newer areas like a local park/playground and the back yards of several houses. The highlight of the ride is crossing the trestle over the Monocacy River. For the most part you are just cruising through shady woods. So there's not always a ton of remarkable scenery, per se, but the tracks are well-maintained. [Note: the trees and brush surrounding the tracks are apparently trimmed by hand by volunteers, so props to them!].As for the comfort of the ride, our party of four had plenty of space to spread out on our cushioned bench seats as the train clacked soothingly along. There's no air conditioning in the cars but they do have ceiling fans and the windows open to let in a breeze.I was a little surprised that you don't get off the train for a short break at the end of the track. Instead, it just pauses for a couple of minutes and then heads right back to the station the way it came. I was anticipating having some time for my little guy to get off the train and stretch and run around at the end of the line. It worked out fine for us--my son was so entranced by the whole train ride experience that he was content to just walk up and down the aisles for a few minutes checking out the other train cars until it was time to sit down and go again--but that might be something to keep in mind if you think an hour in a train car without a break might be too much for your kid(s).Back at the train station you can visit the little museum, which is included in your ticket price. To be honest, this didn't strike me as a museum so much as a warehouse space holding some random train memorabilia. There weren't exhibits, really, or much information to tell us what it is we were looking at. Since this seems to be mostly a volunteer-run attraction, perhaps the museum part of it is still a work in progress. My son did get a kick out of playing with a Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Railway set up in one corner of the room, as well as another shelf of toy trains. And there is a good-sized model railroad set up in the middle of the room, which is always a hit.Speaking of those volunteers, everyone we encountered was very friendly, helpful, and obviously enthusiastic about trains. This place definitely has heart. If you happen to be in the Gettysburg/Frederick area with a young (or old) train enthusiast, it's worth a visit.

A nice small collection of railwayania and the chance to ride behind a tiny Industrial Diesel Locomotive along a short stretch of line. The museum has a good model railway layout although the operator was having a few problems when I visited but it gave me the opportunity to lend a hand.

Very enjoyable and beautiful. It was fun to take a step back in history. On the ride you see the landscape as it could have looked and then definitely present day scenes! There's a little museum there. Also, the railroad offers a large variety of rides.

My husband and I love to ride on old trains and were looking forward to this ride in the little town of Walkersville about 15 minutes north of Frederick, MD. The conductor was very outgoing and cheerful as we waited for the ride. On the train, the PA system was so bad that we really couldn't understand 90% of the narrative. So we missed all the information about the train and the areas we were passing through. Since there are no bathrooms on the train you have to use the Porto Potties near the museum - which were so gross - I almost threw up. OMG - someone please clean them!!

One of my wifes and I first dates as railroad buffs was on this railroad in 2010. we fell in love with it from day 1. When we decided to get married in September of last year we chose wsrr . The price, location The caterer of th dinner train was to good to pass up. Brooke, the organizer of the wedding from the railroad who we worked with for the months leading up to the wedding was beyond spectacular to work with! She came up with ideas for pictures in the park. No hidden costs Everything is up front. They can even provide you with a piano player for the reception in the dining car which we chose that added the perfect touch for our small uniqu wedding . Our pics are posted on the wssrr fb under oct last year. If you want a small unique fun wedding this is the place to have it

Save your money..we spent 65 dollars for a dirty train, dirty seats that looked like they had just been dusted off that morning, that smelled like mold, and scenery of the back of peoples yards, weeds and the highway. My son talked to santa, whose elf..who was not dressed up by the way, proceeded to give him a bendable $1 reindeer --no music, no singing, just heaters plugged up to make sure everyone did not freeze to death, and scented candles to mask the smell....The hour we spend driving was not worth it...save your money and go to the National Harbor! And go to the bathroom first or you and your children will be forced to the porta potty!

We found this gem about two years ago, and every trip there has been pure joy, for the children and adults. The people there are fantastic!! We are going to see Santa again this 2013 Christmas season, (will report back). I know its going to be a blast!!

my wife and I where married on the wssr on september 14 2014. we chartered the dinning car train for our reception and caboose for our ceremony. brooke was a dream to work with! the rr can provide a piano player at a minimal cost for your reception which adds a nice touch to everything. the rr has the same caterer that provides the food for there dinner trains and the food was outstanding!. they will bend over backwards to accomadte your needs for your wedding . theres no hidden costs . all up front. the park has many great locations for your wedding pics. if your looking for a unique wedding venue for a small wedding and reception , this is indeed the way to do it! they will decorate the cars for you . they will bend over backwards to accomadate your needs folks and the train is rest room and handicap accesible for the dinner train which makes it a dream for weddings esp for those who have older guests who cant navigate steep steps

We enjoyed a nice ride on this train. My three year old son ( a train enthusiast) really enjoyed himself. The train gave a nice view of some of the fall colors, neary farmland, and the mountains in the distance. Spotted a barn owl flying through the woods and also a great blue heron. I would really like to try the dinner train in the future.I would like to see the museum become a little better organized with displays explaining what the railroad items are.

My mother was coming into town for her birthday and loves train rides and mysteries. What better gift to give her than a mystery dinner train ride. Unfortunately it was pouring down rain so we did not get to see any scenery at all nor visit any of the train station. The ride was 2 hours. Have assigned seating and had us at a table for two. Was a bit disappointed we weren't seated at a table for four to add to the enjoyment. The food was good and the server Sheila was on top of it all - she hustled and maintained her friendliness. The fun part was the fact we didn't know it was a mystery until the end. The actors came out mingling with the crowd and did quite a bit of improv based on the crowed participation. I was beginning to wonder if it was a comedy or a mystery. Turned out it was both and we absolutely loved it. The actors were exceptional and we laughed so hard. Very enjoyable, we would do it again. Just a note - they were going to do a happy birthday to my mom but apparently forgot. They did quite a few happy anniversaries. I would recommend reminding your server of any requests. But she didn't know so she didn't miss out.

Being a train enthusiast, as well as the grand-daughter of a Twentieth-Century Limited engineer, I welcomed the opportunity to ride the rails on a Saturday morning this past August in Walkersville. The ticket office is rustic with some small souveniers for sale and the train of the day was composed of several open cars with tiered benches in the center as well as a caboose that held a children's party and a fine engine. Though the ride was a half an hour out and a half an hour back, it was so relaxing and fun to simply watch the fields, beautiful trees and homes along the route, while listening to the train whistle and the slow clacking wheels on the tracks.This day there was also a performance en route complete with "Outlaw Bob" and friends as well as the Sheriff in black hat, string tie, boots and star badge. Other characters in costume included a few ladies in 19th century garb and a blue-hatted conductor complete with full white beard, fob watch and ticket puncher. The train stopped at a park midway back to let the caboose party out for their picnic. At that point, there was a staged "train robbery" (they had distributed "jewelry" to some of the parents to hand over on the train) and the sheriff got his bad guy. There was a bit of fake shooting, so be forewarned if you have kids who are sensitive to those kinds of things. But all in all it was a great morning diversion.I would love to come back for a dinner train and other kinds of train rides they offer throughout the year. Bravo to all the volunteers and people who donate their time and money to the upkeep of this fine experience.

We enjoyed a great day out on the Walkersville train. The train ride r/t took rougly about one hour. Everyone in our group enjoyed the ride (we had 2 seniors, one teen, 2 tweens and my sister & myself), the conductor was very friendly and she had some interesting facts along the way to share. This would also be a good ride to take with younger children that have a shorter attention span as it is not a full day excursion. They do have both enclosed rail cars and open air rail cars. It was a perfect day to be outside and enjoy the weather so we chose to sit in the open air cars (they do have roofs so there is shade). There was ample seating for both options though. We did the 2:00 excursion and apparently that tends to the be the less crowded of the train rides (they do 2 rides on Saturday's, one at 11:00 and one at 2:00.) It was a nice relaxing day and we hope to go back again and check out one of the dinner trains. I will mention that the train does not travel at a rapid speed so if you are looking for a long ride at a faster speed this is probably not your best option but if you are looking to have a nice enjoyable short ride definetely check out Walkersville!