catskill mountain railroad

MeganMac0612

We had the BEST time on the Catskill Mountain Railroad out of Kingston. My husband and I took our 16 month old, and our friends brought their three year old. We all traveled up to Kingston from Westchester County and had our expectations exceeded! Everyone from the point of check-in, to the train conductors, to the talent under the tent were friendly and gracious, making our experience such a joy. The kids loved the train ride and meeting Snoopy. The pumpkins at the Sincere Pumpkin Patch were perfect; it was hard to choose from so many beautifully round pumpkins! The crafts and music back at the tent kept our little guys thoroughly entertained--they didn't want to leave! And because the CMRR gave us coupons for local businesses, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Savona's Plaza Pizza. I highly recommend Kingston's CMRR for families with small children. We are looking forward to their Polar Express this winter!

BlakeComer

The ride was short. There was only one spot with a scenic view. But most of the ride was through the woods and you couldn't see much of anything. You get off the train the opposite side of the people buying tickets or I would have told everyone to save their money. Just drive around if you want some scenic views.

babyjj18

I didn't write a review about how terrible Thomas the train was because I thought it was nice they they did this for the community. However, I thought it sounded great so I ordered tickets for Thomas, Peanuts, and the Polar Express. Sorry I did that. The Peanuts is way worse than Thomas. Both are over priced. There's not a lot to do, the train ride is short (which is good if you're sitting by the end where it's really squeaky), and the train is run down. They left everyone standing in line in the freezing cold, while they tied a tarp. People had their babies all bundled up. It was super cold and windy. Very disappointed and thinking I'm going to skip the Polar Express. Next time, I'll try it before I buy tickets to three events!!

61williaml

we visited the railroad for foliage but all we got was a 2 mile trip under trees and looking at houses. the station was falling apart and the engine would blow its horn so loud it will blow your ear out. There was no foliage view at all. And only listening to the conductor complaining that the county was not fixing the railroad track and threatening to shut them down

Moose957

I liked the ride, 90 year old railcars being pulled by a 50 year old engine.This is all run by volunteers that operate, repair, and maintain the track and train. They rely on donations and admission. So when in the area stop and take a ride, its beautiful, relaxing, and they can use the help.

hd232014

We drove over from Connecticut - I imagined a beautiful train ride through the mountains and gorgeous views. First - they do not accept any credit cards, the guy yelled at me is I was hard at hearing: NO PLASTIC. Repeatedly as if he was making some kind of a green statement. Yet they charge $14 per person and $8 per child (according to website under 4 are free but they have a handmade sign saying kids 2 and up have to pay). The guy also ads that the site clearly states its cash only. The site does NOT state that. I was $4 short and some guy in the back let us in though the cashier thought it was outrageous. Um, would you rather make $40 or $0?But my beef is really with the ride. They go to the right for a few minutes, the view is great. Then they say that they dont have all the tracks in the order so we cant continue. Then they go to the left for about 20 min and then back and its past homes, a tiny creek and lot of brush and rock piles. Zero view. If they'd charge $5, I'd be o with it but for $14 this is so disappointing. Meh.

DocPT1

Nice idea but I can see why they are having trouble preserving it. It was not worth $20 bucks to ride for 25 min at 10 mph to go over a creek and see weeds. The "restored" bridge was way over hyped. Live and learn :)

Vavare29

You can't help but smile at the reactions of the passengers: kids pointing to the mountains, parents trying to explain them,others in awe of the scenery. Well worth the time and experience.

skeesler

Boarded the train and sat down. No into introduction about the ride. Train went forward for 1 min and stopped for a few minutes then went the opposite direction. Started out nice along the river than next thing we saw were backyards of houses. Train stops and goes back the same way we came. Total trip about 20 minutes. Kids were disappointed and so was I after I paid 44 dollars . Expected a little bit more of a SCENIC ride.

344alicec

We took my 3 year old son on the ride. He had great time and was very excited to ride his first train. The trip was rather short but it was the perfect length for the attention span of a 3 year old. It would have been nice however if the conductor came out and talked to the kids of there was some kind of tour of sorts. They just boarded us on the train and took off. I know funding is an issue but they are trying.

yixingh

I took the Kingston ride, it is just outside of the Kingston plaza, very convinent to get there. The conductor told me the railroad is fighting with Ulster county because the county wants to close all segment of railroad except from Boiceville to Phenoicia. Recently, the county claim that the c9 Bridge, which was just rebuild last year by CMRR, across Esopus Creek is unsafe while CMRR does not find any problem.I am from China and have nothing to do with CMRR actually, but living in Kingston for two years, the experience tell me to appreciate the good things around us. I think CMRR needs help, and if NO one help, then there is NO more passenger train pass by in Kingston even in Ulster county. So please go and take a ride, save the railroad.

CosmoChickNYer

This attraction is very, very cheap and is run entirely by volunteers - an important thing to keep in mind when evaluating it.We went as a family - 7 adults, 1 teen and a 3-year old. Everyone enjoyed themselves. We took the 1:00 p.m. train and planned to make a 2:30 p.m. ice skating session in Saugraties so took our lunch on board. The ride was shorter than we expected (round trip 35 minutes or so) and we didn't see much beyond parking lots and intersections, but still enjoyed ourselves.The first car had a band (we didn't know this until after we were seated in the caboose). The caboose, while "sweet" with its little antique wood burning stove, does not have any real windows so we had to go to the open-air center car. By then there were no seats to be had in the first car. It was a very cold December day - too cold to sit in an open car. Still, the family had fun.When the train stopped, the engineer allowed our grandson to push the button that blew the horn. It doesn't get more enjoyable for a Thomas the Tank Engine loving 3-year old than that.

SalP_12

Take your money and go right down the road to Bread Alone and pick up some of the best loaves you can find. Then snack on them while you drive the back roads through the countryside. This thing backed up, sat for ten minutes, then drove slow for 15 minutes, went about a half mile, stopped for another ten minutes, and went back. Terrible views of people's back yards and the main road. I hate to be pessimistic but this was a disappointment and a waste.

DOTEE

I took this foliage special train ride hoping to get some good pictures of the fall colors and nearby landscape. What a disappointment!!! The ride is probably about 30 minutes in the bushes and you can't really see much. It's just a very slow and very short ride, good for a 3 or 4 year old. So if you're not taking this ride with a kid give yourself a favor and spend $12 on anything else but this. I hate to say it because I was actually very excited about this train ride. I rarely give bad reviews so this is just a warning to those who expect an opportunity to take some some great photos or see the picturesque Catskills. THIS, is not the way to do it. If you do happen to try it anyway and walk away completely disappointed, hop in your car and follow Route 28 to Route 30 and drive to Roscoe. Much more to see and very scenic. To sum up, great small kids attraction but otherwise a waste of time and money.

HudsonValleyMom

We rode the train today and it was a great experience. The ride is about 40 minutes along the Esopus Creek, which is perfect if you have a two year old in tow. The guide was very knowledgeable, sharing details about the area, both pre and post Hurricane Irene (which hit this area hard). They are still repairing parts of the track. The ticket booth sells sodas and water for $1 (where else can you get a soda for $1?). We will definitely be back.