Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Kansas, United States

5SantaFeCF7 5:00 PM May 24, 2021

My second trip in under a year!
This was my second trip back in under a year. Always a pleasant experience from AMAZING volunteers in Abilene!! I will be back at least one more time this year to ride when the steam locomotive is running, and hopefully another time if the railbus gets to operate this year. If it wasn’t such a drive from KC I would probably come out once a month for the relaxing ride through the country. I highly recommend upgrading to the caboose if you’ve never ridden in a cupola before!

5Kthumbs 5:00 PM Sep 28, 2021

A wonderful and interesting outing!
I took my 2.5YO granddaughter on this train ride, on a weekend in mid-September. She had a WONDERFUL time! The trip isn't real long, about 3.5 hours round trip. Perfect for young children. There is lots to see, interspersed with the typical Kansas crop fields. One of the volunteers rides along to narrate and talk about Kansas farming life, and the history of the railway. The crossing over the Smoky Hill river is via an old, historic iron bridge. The turn around spot (although the train doesn't actually turn around) features an historic grinding mill that still grinds wheat and corn - and you can purchase fresh ground product! I upgraded to the caboose cupola seats, and it was certainly worth it. My granddaughter just had the best time, and being that high, we could see all the way to I-70! We both enjoyed it very much. There is the caboose you can ride in, a couple of open but covered top cars, and an enclosed car with windows. I would definitely recommend this for a fun afternoon! You can also ride in the morning, and that would leave time to visit the Greyhound museum or the Eisenhower museum which we did not see.