Kids who dream of taking a ride on The Polar Express can get their wish on a local holiday train ride this season.

Several historic railroads host special rides for the holiday season, some with specific themes (including “The Polar Express”) and others with more general festive décor. All of them include something warm to drink and a visit from Santa – two must-have amenities.

Holiday train rides, which can rank among the more expensive holiday excursions, have in recent years been getting more expensive, as ticket costs have been rising with the price of fuel and the costs of maintaining the historic engines.

For the 2025 season, prices have gone up on two railroads (the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and the Sumpter Valley Railroad), but have remained flat on three (the Mt. Hood Railr

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