There are lots of special stories we read at Christmas, and some of those stories become part of how we actually celebrate it. A book brought down from the shelf. A film watched again. A small ritual that acquires its own importance because we share it with someone we love.
The Polar Express belongs to that world. Chris Van Allsburg’s picture book, first published in 1985 and later adapted into the 2004 film, follows a boy on an extraordinary journey to the North Pole. This autumn, its imaginative invitation will take a physical form at Wensleydale Railway: a platform, a golden ticket and a carriage full of fellow travellers.
The official The Polar Express™ Train Ride runs from Leeming Bar Station on selected dates between 13 November and 23 December 2026. Tickets are on sale now. Our MagNorth Meteorologists are working tirelessly to make sure there is snow.
Orrganisers tell us the approximately one-hour train experience will bring together live performance and familiar moments from the film. The Conductor punches golden tickets; dancing chefs serve hot chocolate and cookies; passengers can read along with the original book.
The Hobo makes appearances along the way, before Father Christmas and his elf assistant move through the carriages, with a silver sleigh bell for each guest. Passengers also receive a souvenir golden ticket.
Pyjamas are encouraged, which gives families a slightly unusual dress code for an outing to a railway station. Matching sets are entirely a matter of personal enthusiasm (but encouraged).
For children who know the story, the attraction is the chance to encounter its characters beyond the page or screen. For the grown-ups accompanying them, there's the prospect of sharing an experience in which the telling happens around you: voices, movement and small exchanges aboard a real train.
The setting gives the event a particular Yorkshire character. Wensleydale Railway is a very special working heritage attraction maintained by staff and volunteers, and the seasonal production brings a new audience into contact with that railway world.
There's a wider story worth exploring here, about the relationship between live entertainment and the care of historic places. A theatrical event needs performers, production teams and railway expertise to work together. Its success depends on both the story being told and the practical work that allows the train to run.
We're heading along on 12 November (in our JimJams) - and can't wait to meet fellow passengers and chat with the amazing people behind the experience.
For now, the invitation is a simpler one: a family trip built around a story, with beautiful North Yorkshire providing the platform from where to start.
