North Pole Express

A Magical Christmastime Tradition

“All Aboard!”, calls the conductor, and your family's magical journey to the beautiful North Pole begins!

Through the dark night, the North Pole Express makes its way by starlight to the top of the world. On the way, you'll listen to a whimsical Christmas story, sing your favorite holiday carols, and watch out the windows for the bright lights of the North Pole to appear.

Celebrate the Season with Santa

Upon arrival at the brilliantly decorated home of the Toymaker himself, the elves, Santa, and Mrs. Claus will all board the train to visit your family and to take photos with every child. Be sure to whisper your wish for what you're hoping to find under your tree on Christmas morning!

Sweet Treats Onboard the Train

After your visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the North Pole Express chefs will serve special drinks and a yummy treat to all passengers ages two and up:

All Coach passengers (Frisco, Long Island , C&NW-A, C&NW-B) will enjoy chocolate milk and a chocolate chip cookie.
All First Class passengers (Santa Fe and Silver Maple) will enjoy hot chocolate served in a souvenir mug and a large bakery treat.
All Premium passengers (Table Car) will receive a choice of coffee, hot chocolate or chocolate milk and a choice of sweet bakery treat or chocolate chip cookie.

Every family will also receive a custom collectible ornament as our gift to you to keep this holiday memory for years to come. Each year, one of our historic train cars will be commemorated as a custom ornament for you to recreate your own North Pole Express train car collection on your Christmas tree!

Event Details

The North Pole Express experience – including the train ride and the time spent stopped among the lights of the North Pole – lasts approximately 1½ hours.

Plan to arrive approximately 60 minutes prior to your scheduled departure.
ALL tickets must be purchased in advance online. Boarding passes must be picked up from Will Call in the historic train depot on the night of the event.
Food vendors on the grounds will offer warm drinks, dinner options or snacks.
No food or drinks may be brought onboard the train.
Each train car will have an assigned boarding tent on the grounds. Boarding from each tent will begin approximately 15 minutes prior to your departure time.
While traveling to the North Pole, a magical holiday story and Christmas carols will be performed LIVE in the Entertainment car and heard throughout the rest of the train cars.
At the North Pole, the Christmas Couple and elves will board the train to visit every family in each car. No passengers will disembark at the North Pole.
A delicious drink and bakery treat will be served after Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s visit in each car, and this year’s custom collectible ornament will be given out as our gift!

Ticket Details

Although train cars are assigned based on the tickets purchased, the seats onboard each car are not assigned. Passengers must choose from the available seats remaining in their assigned car at the time of boarding and may not move between cars during the event. Please ensure your entire party is present at the time of boarding, as seats may not be reserved or held for late arrivals. Plan to arrive early to claim your spot in the boarding queue, as it will be first boarded, first selection of seats.

Coach (Frisco, Long Island , C&NW-B): $30 each, ages 2+
Entertainment Coach (C&NW-A): $40 each, ages 2+
First Class (Silver Maple, Santa Fe): $50 each, ages 2+
NEW!! Premium Table Car: $250 per table, seating up to four passengers
- As the Table Car’s booth seating cannot accommodate for infants/children in laps, no infants under age two will be allowed in this car. The activities provided at the tables in this car will be better suited for children ages 5+. Please take this into consideration as you decide which car you wish to purchase tickets for this year.
Infants under 24 months must be seated in an adult’s lap throughout the experience and may be added onto existing orders at Will Call at no additional cost.

Which Car Should You Choose?

There’s no wrong answer! All passengers onboard the North Pole Express will be visited by Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves and the chefs, and everyone will get to hear the magical Christmas story and carols being performed on the train! However, each passenger car offers a unique atmosphere for your family to enjoy throughout the evening.

So, to help you choose one (for this year!), please review the descriptions of each car below:

Frisco - Coach No. 1062: The Frisco Coach is the most historic car to travel on the North Pole Express. Built in 1910, this car is not climate controlled, but its beautifully decorated interior provides a classical Christmas atmosphere from yesteryear. Passengers in the Frisco Coach will receive chocolate milk and a chocolate chip cookie at the North Pole. (Side-by-side pairs of seats all face a single direction)
Long Island - Coach No. 2972: Known as the "party car," this large, brightly decorated car offers extra leg room between various-sized facing seats perfect for the little ones to dance in with the elves! Passengers in the Long Island Coach will receive chocolate milk and a chocolate chip cookie at the North Pole. (Seats face each other in groups of four to six) Wheelchair Accessible Space: The Long Island Coach offers the only wheelchair accessible space on our historic train. A hydraulic lift will be provided for boarding assistance. At least one other passenger must accompany the wheelchair user in this car. To reserve the wheelchair space for a member of your party, simply add sufficient tickets for the rest of your party into this car and then add the wheelchair space ticket for the passenger who will be traveling to the North Pole in his/her own wheelchair.
Chicago & Northwestern Gallery - Coach No. 59: When you board the center of this car, you’ll find the C&NW-B Coach on your right. On your left will be the C&NW-A Entertainment Coach. On this end of the car, you’ll be able to interact with the train's LIVE entertainers as they tell a whimsical Christmas tale and perform Christmas songs that are piped throughout the rest of the train! Passengers in the C&NW-B and the C&NW-A Coach cars will receive chocolate milk and a chocolate chip cookie at the North Pole. Seats can face each other in groups of four
Silver Maple - Coach No. 4741: This beautifully decorated First Class car offers upgraded perks, including:
- The North Pole's finest hot chocolate served in a souvenir mug
- Your choice of one of Mrs. Claus's yummy bakery treats
- A glowstick for each child
  (Seats can face each other in groups of four)
Santa Fe - Coach No. 2823: This beautifully decorated First Class car offers upgraded perks, including:
- The North Pole's finest hot chocolate served in a souvenir mug
- Your choice of one of Mrs. Claus's yummy bakery treats
- A glowstick for each child
  (Seats can face each other in groups of four)
Silver Cuisine - CB&Q Dining Car No. 198: This new addition to our train this year offers passengers a unique premium experience of traveling in a tabled booth to the North Pole! Enjoy table-top activities while on the train with your family and choose from expanded snack and drink options served in a souvenir travel tumbler. Passengers in the Table Car may choose hot coffee, hot chocolate or chocolate milk, and a cookie or a sweet bakery treat. Tickets are sold by the table, each accommodating two to four passengers each. (Table-top activities recommended for ages 5+. No infants or children in laps may be accommodated in this car.)

Ticket Availability:

A limited number of tickets for groups of 20 or more go on sale on the 2nd Monday of July at 9:00 a.m.*
General admission individual tickets go on sale on the 4th Monday of July at 9:00 a.m.*