Delaware River Railroad Excursions offers memorable rides near Phillipsburg, New Jersey

Looking for a special way to see the autumn leaves of New Jersey without having to drive or for a holiday ride on the Polar Express? Consider booking a ride on the Delaware River Railroad Excursions in Phillipsburg.

For two decades, the nonprofit New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society Inc. has operated the excursions as a way to preserve the history of railroading in New Jersey.

“We came to Phillipsburg in 2004 as part of an initiative with the town of Phillipsburg, in order to bring tourism to the town of Phillipsburg,” Chris Cotty, vice president and general manager of the railroad told the New Jersey Independent. “And we brought, oh, I guess, about 30,000 people there the first year. And all the pundits in the newspaper said, It’ll never work. It’s hidden out of sight. Who wants to go to Phillipsburg? Well, here we are in 2025, and in 2024 we had about 130,000 people ride the train. So I guess they were wrong.”

The organization runs trains several times daily on weekends, May through October, along a roughly 100-minute route.

The River Train, which costs $20 for adults and $14 for children, takes passengers along the Delaware River.

For a $6-per-ticket add-on, riders can stop at the site of the Susquehanna Mining Company and pan for gemstones. Cotty said visitors to the gemstone mine “learn the tragic and funny history of the mine. … You’ll find a lot of native rubies and garnet here in New Jersey. And it’s great for adults and children alike to learn about minerals and fossils and things like that.”

Riders can explore a 13-acre corn maze for $5 more.

For $45, adults can ride the Winery Train, which includes a 90-minute tour and tasting at Villa Milagro Vineyards in Warren County.

In October, the trains take on a Great Pumpkin theme and stop at a pumpkin patch where kids can choose a free pumpkin. Cotty also noted that the trees along both sides of the Delaware River provide beautiful fall foliage in the autumn.

From Nov. 28 through Dec. 21, in conjunction with Warner Bros., the railroad will host its biggest event of the year, the Polar Express train ride, a 90-minute reenactment of the 2004 film with entertainment, hot chocolate, cookies, keepsake sleigh bells, and a visit from Santa. Tickets cost $48 for adults and $38 for children.

Cotty noted that while the railroad employs four maintenance workers for safety, the rest of the staff are volunteers: “A large portion we do is educational. So we take anybody. Our crews are made up of people from just teenagers with their first jobs to boardroom CEOs, and everyone works together to make the whole thing work. And the cool thing about it, we have a lot of young kids that come to us as volunteers and end up in a professional career in railroading, working for Norfolk Southern or CSX or something like that.”

For more information or tickets, visit 877trainride.com or call 877-872-4674.