Date of Visit: November 26, 2021
There’s something about a train ride that just feels right during the holiday season. Pennsylvania has no shortage of scenic train rides, and it feels like all of them have train rides with Santa.
The West Chester Railroad in Chester County is no exception.
A ride on the WCRR starts in downtown West Chester. There’s a small station building where the tracks terminate at Market Street. From here, the train travels south for about eight miles to the community of Glen Mills in Delaware, County.
Until 1986, Market Street would have been where riders boarded trains bound for Philadelphia. But the line was abandoned because of declining ridership. The West Chester Railroad stepped in and began operating tourist excursions along the former route about 10 years later.
Trains on the line are pulled by a diesel locomotive painted gray with a strip of maroon and yellow running down the sides of the engine. For the holiday, a festive wreath was placed on the front of the engine.
The first mile or two leaving the station are what you would expect from a former commuter line – with rails passing through a more industrial section of town before winding into forested land. A small creek runs roughly parallel to the tracks for much of the journey.
It’s only about 30 minutes from one end of the line to the other, and the time went by quickly thanks to our in-car entertainment – a banjo player singing holiday favorites like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, and the Fly Eagles Fly (which I believe is considered a Christmas carol in Philadelphia).
Once in Glen Mills, guests could leave the train and visit the Glen Mills train station.
Unlike Market Street, the Glen Mills Station is a beautiful, original Pennsylvania Railroad station dating back to 1882. The brickwork is gorgeous, complemented by yellow wooden eaves.
Inside is an original desk that clearly saw plenty of use in 140 years. It sits atop a beautiful hardwood floor (that looks to be slightly newer than the building, itself).
For the holidays they had a Christmas tree set up behind a bench with a fun little fake fireplace and a mailbox for letters to Santa.
The man in red, himself, made an appearance on the ride to Glen Mills, walking through the coaches carrying sleigh bells to announce his arrival as he posed for pictures with the good little boys and girls that had made the trip.
With the stopover in Glen Mills, it was about 90 minutes later that we arrived back in West Chester after a fun and festive ride.
When You Go
- The railroad has its own off-street parking next to the West Chester Station
- The round-trip takes 90 minutes. Plan to arrive early as trains depart on-time.
- Outside of holiday train rides, regular trains still disembark in Glen Mills where you can enjoy a picnic lunch.
More PA Train Rides…
Horseshoe Curve
Reading Society of Model Engineers
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
