May 2024 Excursion Train Rides

On May 19, 2024, bring your friends and family and join us as we celebrate the 175th anniversary (1849) of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), with a ride on the Whippany Railway Museum’s historic excursion train!

To commemorate this special anniversary, the Museum will host the Central Railroad of New Jersey Veteran Employees Association, whose visiting members would be happy to share memories of the CNJ (fondly remembered as “The Big Little Railroad”).  For this day, the Museum’s trains will be named after Jersey Central passenger trains, including: “The Blue Comet,” “The Mermaid,” “The Bullet,” and “The Queen of the Valley.” Each passenger also receives a commemorative CNJ keepsake.

Passengers can board a caboose of their choice (including an authentic CNJ caboose) and experience an old-fashioned, relaxed way of spending a Sunday afternoon with the family.  For a higher fare you can upgrade your excursion experience by choosing to ride in our 1927-era Central Railroad of New Jersey club car “Jersey Coast,” which is a beautifully restored, wood-paneled conveyance that features all the amenities offered by the CNJ’s legendary Blue Comet passenger train of the 1930s that traveled between Jersey City and Atlantic City.  Painted in a two-tone blue, with a cream window band, this striking car reminds one of a comet streaking through space.

Climb aboard the award-winning, Lackawanna Railroad Subscription Club Car No. 2454, radiated elegance on a train known as “The Millionaire’s Express,” that ran between Hoboken Terminal and Gladstone, NJ from 1912 to 1984.

During the 10-mile, 45-minute round trip, the train travels the route of the historic “Whippany Trail” through Whippany, East Hanover, Livingston and Roseland in Morris and Essex Counties. You’ll pass through the remnants of pre-historic Glacial Lake Passaic, a natural swamp which supports abundant wildlife, such as deer, turtles, wild turkeys, hawks and rabbits.