essex steam train & riverboat polar express

Tickets for Essex Steam Train's North Pole Express to Go on Sale Soon

Published august 11, 2021 • updated on august 11, 2021 at 11:56 am.

We’re expecting a heat wave, but it’s time to start thinking about the magical winter experience of the North Pole Express.

The Essex Steam Train is going to start selling tickets for the North Pole Express on Sept. 14.

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The train takes families on a magical ride with Santa and Mrs. Claus and it‘s all set to “’The Night Before Christmas.”

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But the journey that families look forward to each year did not happen in 2020 because of the pandemic.

North Pole Express Ticket Schedule

• Tuesday, Sept. 14: First Class and Coach, full car sales by phone only.  First class cars seat 20, 32, or 36 and coaches seat 64.
• Wednesday, Sept. 15: First Class and Coach, partial car sales by phone only.
• Sold in blocks of 16 or 18, depending on the car selection.
• Friday, Sept. 17: First Class and Coach general ticket sales, online only.

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All Essex Steam Train & Riverboat guests, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask while boarding and deboarding and while out of your seat on the train and riverboat, inside the gift store and restrooms, and when appropriate social distancing cannot be maintained .

People are asked to maintain a safe social distance from other guests and if you are feeling ill, stay home.

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Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

Timeless. Beautiful. Captivating. This year, step back in time to historic 1892 Essex Station and embark on an unforgettable 2.5-hour journey into the heart of the unspoiled Connecticut River Valley. A steam locomotive pulls vintage coaches on a narrated round-trip through the quintessential New England towns of Deep River and Chester.

It's fun for everyone... with all the bells and whistles. 

Essex Steam Train offers unique access to several coves and preserves, immersing passengers in an onboard eco-excursion. Don’t forget your camera. When you arrive at Deep River Landing, your steam train & riverboat excursion continues aboard the multi-deck, Becky Thatcher riverboat for a relaxing 1-1/4-hour cruise along the Connecticut River before returning to Essex Station via steam locomotive.

Essex Station is more than a family railroad attraction with a train-themed gift shop. We’re a destination for your special events, weddings, and other facility rentals with plenty of parking. Need your event catered? We do that, too. Visit our website for details. 

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North Pole Express tickets go on sale starting Tuesday

ESSEX, CT (WFSB) - Ticket sales for the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat’s North Pole Express go on sale on Tuesday.

Tickets for full and partial cars go on sale at 9 a.m. on Sept. 13 online only at essexsteamtrain.com .

Individual tickets will go on sale Thursday, Sept. 15 at 9 a.m. online only.

“Due to the high demand for full cars, partial cars and individual tickets, we must remind our customers that cars and tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis,” organizers posted to social media. “We strongly recommend setting up a Shopify account prior to the ticket sales to ensure a smoother and faster transaction. The demand for tickets is far greater than the amount of tickets available.”

Tickets are not exclusively held in carts. Others may try to purchase the same tickets at the same time and the tickets will go to the first customer to complete the transaction.

“Please make sure to have multiple dates and times in mind when preparing for your purchase in case your first choice is not available,” organizers recommended.

Children under the age of 1 who will sit on a parent’s lap do not need a ticket.

North Pole Express tickets are sold through an offsite independent sales agent and no tickets are available on-site or in person, organizers said.

“Please have only one person per household login for ticket purchases,” they wrote. “We will not refund tickets if families have completed multiple purchases in error. Multiple logins from identical IP addresses run the risk of being locked out of Shopify.”

The Steam Train also said that all sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges for full cars or individual tickets.

Copyright 2022 WFSB. All rights reserved.

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North Pole Express - First Class

Board our locomotive-powered sleigh…for a magical nighttime journey to the North Pole. Every coach becomes a stage for a LIVE, musical performance of The Night Before Christmas. Celebrate the spirit of the season with Santa and Mrs. Claus, sing-a-longs, hot chocolate and sugar cookies.

Each child will receive a small gift from Santa. Children are invited to wear their favorite PAJAMAS. Make sure those PJs are warm and cozy…it’s cold up at the North Pole!

Ride length is approximately 90 minutes

Coach Tickets can be found here

First Class tickets are on sale now - if a departure date / time is not listed below, it is sold out.

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The Polar Express - Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

• United States    
• Connecticut (CT)    
• Essex    
• Essex - Places to Visit    
• Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

Beautiful day - unseasonably warm. Thoroughly enjoyed the train and river tour. The narrators... read more

Everything was good! Staff, facilities , hor doeuvres, train ride , drinks , prices, selection... read more

The Polar Express

My family and I enjoyed a magical moment on this years Polar Express themed train ride. We sat in coach seating last year and loved it. This year we sat in first class seating. There are a few differences as you can imagine. The first class seats are so much better. Individual faux leather seats, alcohol service to get you holly and jolly! Huge fan! This train ride sets the season off for me, we sing, the workers are friendly and engaging with the kids. I highly recommend this for all. Tickets go on sale in September if I recall, and they do sell out quickly. So yeah, hope this helps.

Get there early so you can enjoy the displays they have in the building with a dozen Christmas trees and cut outs for photos. A large sleigh is a great photo op for the family too. Free face painting and craft making art available for the kids. For $3.00 you can get a letter from Santa delivered to your home after completing a form and helping your child write a letter to Santa. A large train is adjacent to the “North Pole” post office where kids can steer the train and play inside. A large train display is set up for viewing along with two wooden train sets for little ones to play with. Food is also available for purchase. Large characters walk around to the delight of the children with reindeers and penguins posing for photos. Upon entering the train car that we were assigned to on our ticket which was mailed to us previously, we were met by our “elf” Joy who was very personable and interacted so positively with our three grandchildren aged 2,4,6. She sang and danced and generally kept all the kids engaged throughout our 90 minute ride. The train stopped twice: once to pick up Santa at the North Pole stop and then again when Mrs. Claus and Santa greeted every child. Santa was great interacting with every child, not rushing at all. It was a wonderful experience for all the kids! Each child was given a bell and everyone was given hot chocolate and a cookie. It was a great experience for the whole family!

We and our grandson thoroughly enjoyed the event. The program was well planned and entertaining. However, I would give the customer service 10 stars if I could. We purchased items at the gift shop before the train ride. Somehow, we were separated from the bag containing the items. After checking with the conductor they immediately scanned all the cars with a team. All the employees were very diligent and empathetic to our plight. We were surprised to be rewarded with all that we purchased before we left. Thank you Essex Steam Train crew!!!

We had a wonderful time with the grandkids on the Santa Special train. There was an elf in our car who kept everyone intertained the whole trip. The childeren were elves in training, receiving an elf hat when they got on the train.. There was a visit by Mrs Claus, who took pictures with all. The highlight of course was the appearance of Santa. Santa give each child a bell and you could take pictures with him. This is well worth the money. We were in car 2 on December 2 and the elf was awesome.

We drove 3 hours from our NJ home for this Santa train ride and it was worth it. This operation is well set up. We received instructions along with our tickets on what to expect. We were guided to a parking space and towards the trains. The ticket told us what car to go to and we were ushered to our seats. From there Annie the rag doll took over. She sang and danced the whole ride long trying to keep everyone amused. She did a good job. At one point elves came in and served hot chocolate and cookies. Mrs & Santa Claus made an appearance. Santa was feeling stressed or something. He has to work on his HO HO HO. Luckily my grandson was a bit afraid and didn't notice. They have a cute gift store and interactive displays in another room which are worth the while. All in all we had a good time.

This is a great way to get a little steam-train fix- and get out on the river boat, as well! The train trip is a nice relaxing ride- just through some pretty back country. The steamboat was a real bonus- beautiful views and some interesting history. If you have the $$, upgrade to first class on the train. The seats are really comfy, you get personal drink service, and have a lot of room to spread out and enjoy the scenery. Highly recommended for a sweet afternoon!

Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

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Polar express great fun for the kids - Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

• United States    
• Connecticut (CT)    
• Essex    
• Essex - Things to Do    
• Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

Beautiful day - unseasonably warm. Thoroughly enjoyed the train and river tour. The narrators... read more

Everything was good! Staff, facilities , hor doeuvres, train ride , drinks , prices, selection... read more

Polar express great fun for the kids

Second year traveling the polar express with my boys (4 and 6). Staff is great, especially the elves....very animated and the kids love it. Well coordinated with hot chocolate, passing through the North Pole, and picking up Santa along the way. The engine itself is amazing. Seeing the kids get so excited is the best part. Highly recommend for the little ones.

A wonderful evening very professionally done. Our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter was enthralled and wants to do,it again.

I was so excited to do this trip with my 4yr old grandson and his cousins. There were 13 of us (adults and kids). Maybe other cars are different but our trip had NO resemblance to the movie. Our "entertainer" acted like he was trying to fill up the time by playing Christmas/Winter songs and having a few kids march up and down the car. Santa was a bit stingy with the little bells he handed out - actually asking the older cousin if she wasn't too old for Santa (she was 13). You say this in front of little ones? The hot chocolate was just dispensed (took 3 trips to get to everyone). No singing, no fanfare, just passed out. This could have such much more fun. I will say the kids had fun but they are easily pleased.

We spent a terrific summer day here riding the train and cruising the Connecticut River on the Becky Thatcher River Boat. The train ride takes you along a wooded area for about a half hour to the boat. We chose the open window car and were warned about cinders in the air. If this would bother you choose the closed in car. The train ride is pleasant and if you do not want to take the river cruise you can pay less and stay on the train back. The river cruise was narrated and terrific. There is also a small snack bar on the lower level that service hot dogs, premade sandwiches, beer and wine.

Really nice trip back in time to board an old time steam engine and cars and travel thru the CT countryside and then board the Becky Thatcher paddle boat for a trio up the Connecticut River past the Gillette Castle. Very nice day

Our family of two teens, five adults and two seniors took a trip here to celebrate Grandpa's 85th birthday. It was a breezy, partly sunny afternoon in September-good weather for the trip (I wouldn't want to do it in the rain). It began with the train ride which takes about 20-30 minutes and travels through woods along the Connecticut River. From the train, we boarded the riverboat which we rode for over an hour, up and then back down a scenic area of the river. While on the boat, there was a man narrating the trip and providing a lot of history about the area. The captain, Paul, was also friendly and knowledgeable. Because it was so windy, we chose to sit inside, but once underway, you are free to go to the open upper deck which was quite enjoyable. There are snacks available onboard, but we packed our own. When the boat docked again we re-boarded the train for the trip back. This was an especially nice trip for older people who might not have a lot of mobility, but can sit and enjoy the ride. It was a bit dull for the teens, but Grandpa enjoyed it and the young children on the trip seemed to like it too. Be sure to take a look at the little museum while you wait to board the train.

General FAQs

What are the different seating options.

Our standard seating is in Coach Cars with padded bench seats. For an additional charge, customers can choose our First Class car which offers individual seats and cash beverage service.

Is there air conditioning or heat on the train and/or riverboat?

When the weather warrants, there is steam heat on the train. There is no air conditioning on the train or boat, however a natural breeze can be felt on both.

Are there bathrooms on the train and/or riverboat?

There are small bathrooms available on the train and the boat. The bathrooms on the boat are on the lower level which is accessed by a full staircase from the level you board onto the boat. It is suggested to use the bathrooms at Essex Station before your excursion.

How long are the excursions?

The  Steam Train  excursion is 1 hour round-trip; the  Steam Train & Riverboat  combination excursion is 2.5-hour round trip.

How do I get back to my car?

All excursions are round trip and leave from and return to Essex Station. For those taking the Steam Train & Riverboat combination excursion, the train will bring you to the riverboat and pick you up afterwards.

Do I need to purchase tickets in advance?

Advance tickets are strongly recommended and encouraged. Tickets are available for walk-up sales on the day of the excursion IF tickets are available. Our Riverboat seating is sold to a Coast Guard regulated capacity and can not be exceeded. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the departure time. Gift certificates/cards and Complimentary passes can only be used with phone and walk up purchases. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the departure time and check in at the Essex Station Ticket Window (1 Railroad Ave. Essex, CT 06426)

How much are tickets?

Steam Train and Riverboat ticket pricing can be found on our  Schedule & Fares Page. Special seating (First Class) require an extra charge per ticket.

When does the Steam Train & Riverboat operate?

Our Steam Train & Riverboat excursion operates Saturday & Sunday through June 27, 2021 and then Thursday-Monday July 1-August 22, 2021.   Departures are 11:00 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. / 2:00 p.m for the 2.5 hour Train & Riverboat Excursion and the 1 Hour Train Excursion