FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The steam train ride is a one-hour narrated excursion through the beautiful Sierra National Forest. The ride will travel over 4 miles on the historic Madera Sugar Pine Railroad. Enjoy a brief stopover in the Lewis Creek Canyon to see the locomotive up close, or explore the outdoors before your return trip to the station. The train is open to people of all ages, and friendly dogs ride free!

You will travel along the historic right-of-way of the Madera Sugar Pine Railroad, where mighty lumberjacks felled the timber and flumes carried the lumber to the town of Madera. The conductor will tell of the history of the line, the trees, and the wildlife native to the area.

The railroad is located on Highway 41, just 4 miles from the South Entrance of Yosemite National Park, home of the Mariposa Big Trees, Glacier Point, Half Dome, and the many wonderful waterfalls including Yosemite Falls in the valley.

We operate two historic geared steam locomotives called Shays. Both locomotives were from the Westside Lumber Company in Tuolumne, California. These two locomotives represent the original Shays that worked this line from 1874 to 1931. The original Madera Sugar Pine Shay locomotives burned wood for fuel, while our two Westside Shay locomotives burn oil. Shay #10 was built in 1928 and weighs in at 84 tons, while Shay #15 was built in 1913 and weighs 59 tons.

The historic Shay locomotives operate at the same speeds forward and backward. We have a loop in our excursion that turns the train around every trip. We do not have a turntable at the station, so our locomotives will sometimes be facing backward.

To guarantee your reservation, click here to buy your tickets online. If you do not have internet access, for the daytime excursions, we suggest that you arrive 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure to buy your tickets. Our Moonlight Special BBQ trains require a reservation, so book now online or call our ticket office at (559) 683-7273.

Your evening begins with a BBQ dinner with a choice of New York Steak, chicken, or a vegetarian substitution. The meal is complemented with a summer corn salad, ranch-style beans, sourdough dinner roll, and dessert. Complimentary juice, coffee, and water are offered. There is a bar with sodas, beer, and wine for an additional cost. You will then board the logger steam train for a ride to the campfire sing-a-long program hosted by the Sugar Pine Singers. At the conclusion of the evening, you will re-board the train for a memorable trip up the mountain at night. The event lasts approximately three hours. Make your reservations online now or call our ticket office at 559/683-7273.

The railcar schedule varies according to the steam train operation. Typically, the railcar will run an hour prior to the first departure of the day, starting at 9:30 a.m. The railcar will run after the last steam train, depending on necessity.

There is GOLD in the mountains! Our prospector will show you how to pan for gold and you keep the gold. We also have the Thornberry Museum that offers a glance at logging camp life at the turn of the century. At the station, we have cold drinks, sandwiches, hot dogs, delicious snacks, and a gift shop. Visit the bookstore for a collection of historical titles and railroad literature.

We are located along Highway 41, about 15 minutes’ driving time from Oakhurst, or one hour from River Park in northern Fresno.

Our schedule runs from April through November. Please check out the calendar for the departures for each date. We open at 9:00 a.m. DAILY, and closed on Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving Day. Buy tickets online.

You do not need to print out your tickets in advance, you can show the reservation agent your identification or confirmation on your phone. It is highly recommended that you purchase your tickets in advance of your arrival as it is the only way to guarantee a reservation on the train as trains can sell out. The walk-in rates for the logger steam train are $40 adults and $20 children ages 3-12. First class rates are $80 for the caboose and $95 for the cupola.

While we cannot be sure what the weather will be, here is the latest 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service for the region where the railroad is located.

Visit the website: www.yosemitethisyear.com or call 559/683-4636 for lodging or camping near the railroad. We are located next to the Narrow Gauge Inn. We hope to see you soon!

Dogs are allowed if they are well-behaved and on a leash.

Yes! We have a lift that can load a passenger with a wheelchair up to 600 pounds.

Refunds

48 hours prior to departure – 100% refund back on credit card
Less than 48 hours – no refunds without trip protection.

Trip Protection

With trip protection, your tickets can be refunded, rescheduled, or converted to a gift card up until 1 hour prior to departure for any reason! All you have to do is submit an email request to [email protected] no later than 1 hour in advance of departure. That’s it! All funds (minus trip protection and Booking fees) are refundable or transferable.

Rebooking

Rebooking your reservation must be done prior to your scheduled departure. You may rebook any reservation up to 48 hours prior to departure with no rebooking fees. Reservations rebooked with less than 48 hours to departure are subject to a $10 per ticket rebooking fee. All rebooked reservations cannot be cancelled for a refund. If you purchased trip protection, there are no rebooking fees prior to 1 hour before departure.

Gift Cards

Any unused reservation with trip protection can be cancelled and issued a gift card (minus trip protection and Booking fees) for a future reservation. The gift card does not expire and cannot be exchanged for cash.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (559) 683-7273 or email us at [email protected].