bluegrass scenic railroad and museum

When we went to the rail road museum the museum was very nice with lots to look at. They also have several trains and artifacts outside that you can look at. The highlight was the train ride that they offer which is on a vintage train and goes almost to the river.

Wonderful train ride if you can slow down and relax.I was skeptical after reading reviews - but so impressed after taking the ride on the train.Remember this is run by dedicated volunteers and they are full of knowledge and really kind.Relaxing - yes it is slow and doesn't go that many miles...but you can actually see farms and thoroughbreds and Kentucky farms.Great to ride in vintage train cars (when can you ride or enjoy or even experience train travel like this)It is a great value as far as price - the people that keep this part of history are passionate, full of information and wonderful!It is slow - turn off your phones, pads and enjoy a wonderful slow, informational trip.The volunteers are more than happy to share information and great - ask!The train museum is small, but wonderful if you take the time to look at all of the donated the pieces - stop and slow down - it is small but if you look and read all of the descriptions of pieces donated to the museum you will learn a lot!I was skeptical but so happy to look at the museum and also slow down enjoy a vintage trip and spend time with my family.Great excursion but read what you are going to experience - Cannot wait to visit in spring as well.Enjoy Kentucky railroads and slow down and have a conversation on the train - GREAT!!!

My wife and I recently enjoyed a "staycation" and we visited the museum and went for a train ride. In some ways this is a charming little operation run by nice folks. However, the actual train ride is rather slow and uneventful, which isn't altogether a bad thing, but wasn't really what we were hoping for.If you are in for a relaxing hour or two of viewing Kentucky countryside, this might be the thing for you. Or if you really are interested in the history of the railroad lines or systems in the state/country, you might get more out of this trip. I felt like the employees were very helpful and knowledgable, which is good. The actual museum, which is back at the station, is rather small and somewhat disappointing.

I enjoyed the little museum and they had an assortment of track maintenance vehicles. The train ride was fun and ends at the Kentucky river at a marvelous girder bridge that is now closed for train traffic. There is a fee for the train ride, but the museum is by donation.

We decided to see what this RR ride was like as we both like to ride on trains. The RR is only 9 miles, is operated by certified volunteers, and uses 1920s rail cars and engines. The staff was period dressed, very friendly and willing to discuss the trains, their work, etc. The cars were old, of course, but the seats were OK and the windows opened. They even piped in appropriate country music. The ride was through the countryside past some horse ranches, ending at a long and high wooden bridge which has been closed, the rails removed. Apparently the bridge is now used by a bungee jumping outfit.The only drawback on the trip was the appearance of a Ronold McDonald whose loud voice and yucky jokes meant for kids spoiled the ambiance of the trip.

The museum was small but nice. There weren't very many train cars or engine's to look at. It was very boring. May be if we took a train ride it would have been worth the stop.

I live about 30 minutes away from this attraction and finally decided to go with a few other relatives. It was hot, but fortunately we opted to pay extra for the first class tickets and car with AC. The other cars just had ceiling fans with open windows and the passengers looked miserable when we got off at the half way point to a decent view of an old bridge. The train sways back and forth at a very slow speed. You see very little from the train other than a farm here or there. If you are not from KY and want to see beautiful horse farms drive a KY scenic by way and skip this.

My husband and I reserved the cab ride on June 14th to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary and couldn't have have been happier with our decision. The engineer was great, and we thoroughly enjoyed the entire trip and the museum. The volunteers at this small railroad have spent a lot of time and money restoring their equipment, and we found the trip each way to be very enjoyable as we passed through the beautiful Kentucky horse farms. We enjoyed getting off the train at the end of the line and having our pictures taken with the long wooden trestle behind us. There was plenty of time for anyone that wanted to have their pictures taken at the front of the engine before time to get back on board for the trip back to the station. Although the engine pushes the train back to the station, I enjoyed watching the rails behind us on the return trip.We were able to video tape the trip and took many nice pictures. The ride was both relaxing and enjoyable, and we highly recommend it and the museum to anyone in the area.

We took the train trip in April 2014 and it was excellent for children. It was a 1/2 hour trip each way with a stop at the end of the line at a huge bridge. Everyone can disembark the train at the bridge and walk around and even climb on the front of the engine for pictures. The bridge is going to be used for bungee jumping. The conductor comes around with balloons for the kids and makes animals,swords,hats etc. It keeps the kids entertained. All the kids even get to blow the whistle on the train. A younger really friendly man in his 30s or 40s talks about the train line history on the trip. A good train trip to take with children !

I'm a life-long Kentuckian with no post-secondary education, a "trades" background and a vocabulary which regularly includes double negatives and use of the word "ain't. In other words, I have no sense of cultural superiority from which to make the following statement: The Christmas train was "Bush League" to the point that I felt sorry for all involved (passengers and staff) particularaly the passengers. To compound matters the train was unable to make it up a minor grade and some of us ended up walking to a school bus which transported us to our vehicles. We drove back to the train to retrieve spouses, the elderly and small children.I am still amazed that contingency plans were not in place. I was so happy to get off that train that I didn't even ask for a refund

I have been wanting to do the Christmas train for a couple of years. This year I took my 3 grandkids( 4, 6, and 8) and rode the train. It was TERRIBLE. Not at all what I expected. Boarded the train, pulled from the station, went forward at approx. 5 mph for about 40 minutes, stopped, went backwards back to the station. BORING. Other than when Santa and Mrs Claus visited our car, we just sat there, bored. Several kids on the train went to sleep!! And there are no bathroom facilities!I will give credit to Santa and Mrs. Claus, they were great!

My son who absolutely loves trains was bored. That took some real effort. We hoped to learn a thing or two about trains, history, or the area. But no.The man reading the written script sounded drunk and did not speak into his microphone. We could not hear a word he said. He was worse outside describing the scenic bridge. They have you disembark to see the bridge and then a slurring old man reads from a three ring binder. I get that the peolple operating the trains are volunteers but geez, we paid a decent price for the trip. At least have someone who can speak read the script. There was a lot of confusion as to where to sit. We were directed to first class by mistake and got yelled at by another crabby old guy. Nice. Only go on this trip if you wear Depends. There are no bathroom and you are on board for 90 minutes. I do not recommend.

First class air conditioned car ticket welcoming staff and enthusiastic civil war encampment actors road along with some antics humor And 1865 field conflict train side 2 hour total ride. Kids ages 9-11 enjoyed unique ride.

I arrived at the depot, pleasantly surprised by the park area in which the museum is situated. There's plenty of parking and the depot sits across the tracks from the parking area, requiring that you walk across the tracks. It really has an interesting appeal in that sense. I immediately noticed the various pieces of equipment and rolling stock. To the left of the museum, a diesel engine and caboose are on display. Visitors are able to enter the caboose. Several other pieces of equipment, including the engine and cars used for the scenic ride, are located to the right of the depot. At first glance, it was pretty obvious that the equipment needed some love. The static displays could use some exterior paint and interior overhaul/restoration. The interior of the depot was awkward. The restrooms didn't completely make sense as there was a storage/desk area inside the restroom. The available gifts/memorabilia weren't all that appealing. The museum had a couple of things that I found interesting but the flow of the items/information wasn't captivating, so I quickly lost interest. Outside on the boarding platform, three cars, including one first-class car, were being prepped for boarding/departure. The conductors and engineer were all friendly and very welcoming. While waiting I visited the display car, which houses a model train and some additional historical memorabilia. The condition of the car was not flattering. Again, with a little love, some restoration and paint, this car could be quite amazing.Ticket prices for the ride weren't bad. $11 for coach, $16 (I think) for first-class seating. We opted for first-class seating. Boarding was conducted through only one platform/doorway. The passenger load was pretty light, so it didn't seem to bother anything. We entered through the 3rd car, and walked through the second to our car, which was directly behind the locomotive. The condition of the coach cars was of interest. These cars, like the other pieces of equipment, could use a great bit of restoration. The coach cars are not climate controlled and it was stuffy just walking through them. We entered the first-class car, surprised by the vast difference. The first-class car is climate controlled and consists of large cloth seats in a 2x2 configuration. New headrest covers were placed over the seats. It should be noted that the first-class cabin restroom has not been restored, so restrooms are not available throughout the 90 minute journey. I must also note that the first class car is carpeted. While the blue carpet is beautiful, this car has only recently been added to the fleet. A deep cleaning is needed for the carpet, seat cushions and surfaces. Again, just a little bit of care could really help this car stand out.The ride is 5.5 miles to a bridge through horse country. Several other pieces of equipment in varying condition are stored along the line. The ride is slow but beautiful and very peaceful. Once at the bridge, passengers are allowed to disembark the train, enjoy the view and learn about the significance of the bridge. Passengers are then boarded again and returned to the station being pushed by the locomotive.Overall:There are lots of pieces of equipment. Better access to this equipment and a much more serious focus on restoration could really push this railroad/museum forward. The museum section appears to be dull, lacking the sense of invitation provided by the engineer and conductors. I lost interest almost as quickly as I entered the museum. The ride is pleasant but a little disappointing. Opening up more equipment and displaying restored equipment would really help to offset ride.The museum/park are quite a distance from the town of Versailles. I didn't notice any nearby options for food or drinks.

We went on the Christmas ride with Santa and the elves and he looked like he had already been down every chimney in the US. There was nothing "Scenic" to see. I agree that if you want to take a ride on a train, go to Stearns. The train felt like ti was about to fall apart and was dirty. Kids were bored and the elves scared them to death being up in their faces and looking unclean to boot!