Fillmore & Western Railway Line

Rode on the Fillmore & Western ‘Weekend Scenic” train on Saturday from Fillmore to Santa Paula and back. It was a four hour ride, with around an hour and a half layover in Santa Paula, which was enough time to either have lunch in Santa Paula or to look around in Santa Paula.
There is also a dining car and a snack car on the train. It was a very interesting ride through the Santa Paula Valley through orange groves and other agriculture and was a very good value for $ 25.00 ($ 23.00 for Seniors).

We moved to Fillmore recently and we were excited to partake in the North Pole Express. I was a little reluctant after reading some of the negative reviews, but I have to say that after our experience last night this is something that we will make as one of our Christmas traditions. Our Elf, Sparkle was really upbeat and interacted well with the families on the train. We sang Christmas carols and the North Pole was super cute.
***I’d like to make a note that this is SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. If you are expecting a full blown snow storm for $ 30 a pop you deserve to be sadly mistaken.
Overall this truly was a great experience for our family! I’d recommend it to all of my family and friends.

I don’t know where to start. We went on the North Pole train ride. This is a complete rip off.
Why didn’t we read the Unilocal reviews before we purchased the tickets.
One cookie per person, singing with no music, Santa who will not take a picture with your kid.
All lead by 15 year old girls who are just trying to keep it together. The North Pole is made of a few portable buildings with Xmas lights. They read a story while walking up and down the train. This could be so much more but no effort by the producer. Nothing fun about this.

Took the 3 and 5 year old on the Christmas train and had a magical time. The nostalgia of the train, decorations, and staff made it an amazing experience for our kiddos. Had a great time singing Christmas carols, interacting with the elves, and taking a pic at the end w/​Santa was perfect. Finished off riding the carousel that was built in 1946. The old school carousel, vintage trains, decorations, and yuletide cheer transported the whole family back to an earlier time. Loved it! Kiddos are at the perfect age to be in awe and enjoy the whole experience.

I am so sad! I have envisioned taking my kids on the North Pole Express train ride since I was pregnant with my first (8 years ago). As a kid we did the Christmas tree train ride and had a blast, so I had high hopes! Unilocal reviews be damned, I WANTED to love this! We LOVE Christmas! Soooo we drove the 3 HOURS down, to experience the train with our kids. But sadly it was just stiff, and boring, and disappointing!!!
Let me first say that this is supposed to be an EXPERIENCE! In order to have this experience you need employees that you interact with to WANT to be there. They should understand that they set the tone!!! The ladies in the office were very helpful and nice. However, the ‘elves’ for our car were two teenage girls who would have been better suited for the kiosk at the mall… not playing along with the expectations or imaginations for the kids! The teenage ‘elves’ were nice… they just didn’t give a hoot about the fact that they were supposed to be playing a character or trying to help kids be excited! Their demeanor was ‘get it done, get it over with’…and it was sad because that translated to the kids.
The ‘elves’ were supposed to lead our train car in Christmas carols… instead they basically just said ‘Ok, sing Frosty’…they’d sing the first line and then taper off to let the car flounder along… miserably, while they seemed awkward and unhappy to be doing any of it.
99% of what makes this train ride memorable is the ambiance… there wasn’t any for us. The parents in the car tried to do our best to keep it going, but I don’t think the car even got through finishing an entire song! And it wasn’t our job to.
I will say the other cars with other ‘elves’ sounded as if they were singing cheerfully and the other elves I encounter seemed to understand the spirit and character well. I just think making two teenage girls responsible for the tempo of an entire train car of children and parents is not a smart decision! They’d be better off running a register or doing something behind the scenes.
Also, maybe adding a few thing here and there could help. We waited in line after check in for about 40 minutes… It was just boring and quiet… maybe pipe some Christmas music through some speakers to help get people in the spirit, maybe have an elf get the kids pumped up, when we were on the train and the elves were busy, it was just quiet and boring… maybe some carols from the speakers? Little things make a HUGE difference!!! And unfortunately it fell flat for us!

We have not attended any other ride but the North Pole Express was beyond disappointing. My boy just turned six and was counting down the days. He is a true believer. The little village was mmmm… okay, but we maintained optimistic. All he could see is the lights and the Joy and excitement on his face was enough for us. We boarded the magical train. It’s really an old caboose. Whoever Decorated it looked like they were forced to and really didn’t care to try and fulfill the magic they promise the little children. Again, my boy didn’t notice, he was just so excited about where it was going, so we stayed smiling and excited with him. After the $ 0.10 cookies they pass out and the elves sang some Christmas carols (note: one of the elves was embarrassed to be doing it herself, had I not been clapping and singing with pride to my boy he wouldn’t have had fun… but we did so he enjoyed the singing). Anywhoo, after the singing my boy looks at me a little disappointed and says, «this isn’t so fun mom, I can’t wait to get to the North Pole» I smiled and said, «it’s a wonderful train ride! Let’s sing another song! » fast forward… and to keep the story short, when he saw the «North Pole» his eyes watered up. Mommy, it’s so disappointing, there’s no snow, nothing. This is all Fake. I believed them.“
If you want your children to feel the magic of Christmas this isn’t it. They may even lose they hope and belief. I highly recommend saving their little hearts from feeling this disappointment. It was sad, and I couldn’t save it, because it was all so terribly done, no matter how much I tried I couldn’t add enough spirit to make up for it.

We took the two-​hour (+/​-​) Holiday Murder Mystery train and had a fabulous time. It was a little hard to hear some of the actors (a speaker system & wireless lapel mics would make the ‘scene’ parts much easier for everyone to hear, then just turn them off when they’re chatting up the individual tables) but the ‘show’ was silly and fun. I really enjoyed joining in on the carols.
What I was most surprised about was the food. I wasn’t expecting much, but my prime rib was tender and juicy, and quite good. The pork chop looked amazing — plump and moist with a delicious mushroom sauce. And the chicken cordon bleu was also very good. Who woulda thunkit?
Highly recommended — just be sure to bring your sense of humor… and be there ON TIME!

We took our 2 year old on the Pumpkinliner. We had tons of fun. train ride, bouncy house, carosaul, corn maze, face painting, DJ, games, and pumpkins. The volunteers were so nice. It’s a great family excursion.

Loved the train ride through the beautiful countryside. The staff was very accommodating and the food was terrific! I highly recommend this to train lovers or anyone that wants to get outside and enjoy the scenery.

Did the paintball train shoot — you shoot paintballs at dudes in animal costumes on ATV’s! Awesome time, check for the Halloween Zombie paintball shoot coming in Oct.

Writing this while I am on the father’s day ride. Couldn’t have asked for nicer staff and ride for father’s day. I will most definitely be coming back throughout the year

I am surprised at the large number of negative reviews here. What’s he matter, people? Was your 1903 Romanee-​Conti burgundy corked? Was your vichyssoise off? This is a fun enterprise conducted by people who very evidently enjoy what they’re doing and make an effort to add to your enjoyment as well. My feeling is the railroad provides good value for what they charge.

This is great way to spend an afternoon with your family. This slow train ride to Santa Paula and back takes about 3 hours and has an open car where you can take in the breeze and scenic views. Just a warning for those allergic or scared of bees. About 10 mins into the journey the train passes some bee hives with thousands of bees. Most people didn’t go inside to the covered cars and no one got stung.
The staff were really friendly and there is a snack car that has reasonably priced snacks, souvenirs, sodas, water, beer, and wine. The total cost of the experience is a bit pricey but worth trying at least once. Just a tip: bring cards or a board game if you are bringing restless kids.

We went on this train ride today, which was supposed to be taking us to a «honey festival». I must say the conductor of the train deserved 5 stars for his kind and gentle demeanor but it was all downhill from there. So here are my two major gripes with our experience today:
GUNSHOTS AROUND KIDS WITHOUT ADVANCE NOTICE
A few minutes after the train departed Fillmore, cowboy actors started walking through the wagons in costume and all, which was nice. They welcomed anyone who wanted to take pictures with them and struck up small talk with the kids.
Then we stopped in a tiny town called Piru, right in front of a park/​small kids play area for a 20 minute break. Our kids naturally ran out to the play area. So here we are watching our kids rocking back and forth on one of the play apparatuses and next thing we know, BAM BAM BAM BAM gunshots are being fired in the air by the Cowboys. Our kids (3 & 4) as well as a bunch of other children naturally freaked out. The Cowboys then performed 3 – 4 different skits all of which included shooting their empty barrels.
Needless to say our kids and others were quite traumatized by this whole thing. My daughter couldn’t fall asleep because she was asking me to explain to her what happened. NOWHERE WAS IT DISCLOSED PRIOR TO BUYING TICKETS THAT THIS WOULD BE GOING ON! It was ridiculously insensitive and ignorant of the poor children’s reactions and trauma that it caused them. As parents we spend a lot of time and effort trying to provide our children with meaningful and culturally rich experiences but if we had wanted to expose them to gunshots we would have taken them to a civil war reenactment. Maybe one day we will I don’t know. But with so many young kids on board of this train, we should have been given proper advance notice!!!
HONEY FESTIVAL? B. S!!!
So we calmed the kids down by telling them the next stop was the honey festival. We get to Bennet honey farm, get off the train and this «honey festival «consisted of a small cramped store that sold honey. There was no tour, no bees, no honeycombs, nothing. We just had the option of standing in a dirt parking lot with two small benches or getting back on the stuffy train for 40 minutes doing nothing.
All in all the whole thing was a huge anticlimactic disappointment. Now I’m contemplating asking for a refund!

New Year 2014. Food was served cold. Servers didn’t served what we requested. They didn’t have red wine on the train until later when we have the stop over. We ordered coffee, beef and wine and this was not served to us. Decided not to proceed with our order. The waiter gave us a tab and we told them that we never ordered anything. This is a crying shame because this is our first experience.
The venue Was really nice it was decorated very well. Like an art deco dinner restaurant. That entertainers were very fun and engaging. They truly entertain all the guests. They are willing also to take there pictures also they also sang and the comedic acts. They really made the guest comfortable.
Another bummer. Is that the DJ is not a live DJ but it is just coming from the computer. The dancing whole is nice and it is question again is in the blows that can happen during the ride. That champagne was a cheap one and it gave us a hangover the next day. Over all the event could’ve been better if it was planned in such a way that the guest our fielt value through a warm meal their orders taken properly.

This review is for the Murder Mystery Dinner Train option.
The two-​liner: I won’t be returning to this business or encouraging anyone else to try it. But there were people on the train that seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Waitstaff:
I’ll start with the one positive. The 4 people were amazing who were serving food and drink to 60 people in one train car while a train and show were in progress. If anything, the one star is for them for their smiles and courtesy. Thank you.
Food:
cold entrees. well-​done prime rib and half-​steamed veggies. if the food had been good, the rest may have been forgiven. We were the second table served and our food was still cold.
Show:
the one reason I decided to buy these tickets for my boyfriend’s birthday present was because the website specifically said that participation was optional. My boyfriend likes audience participation but it makes me melt into a puddle of anxiety.
Too bad the director/​producer/​actor decided she would pick on me even after I told her I was uncomfortable. (I only found out at the end of the production that the actor who picked on me was the producer and director– while she was asking everyone to come again and tell our friends– yea. right)
it was all shock comedy– kinda funny the first time but gets old quickly. there was no character or story development. suddenly santa had a knife in his chest then there was intermission then singing carols (insensitive to dead santa if you ask me) then suddenly we have to guess who killed santa.
4-​top table:
If you decide to go, consider buying 4 tickets instead of 2. the tables are 4-​top so we sat across from total strangers for 3 hours. Luckily we sat with strangers who agreed with our sentiment of the evening.
directions:
the driving directions on the website have at least 2 critical spelling errors that so thoroughly confused us that we almost missed the train. I guess that would not have been as bad as I once thought.
I’m glad we went and tried it– and at least we have a story to tell and had a nice time on the drive there and back.
The quality needs to go up or the price needs to go down. I can’t even think about the money I spent for this completely disappointing evening.

We did the North Pole express this year. The staff and elves were very accommodating and friendly. The entire train ride was about 1 hour. I would say it’s best for ages 6 and under. Our almost 9 year old was into picking apart what wasn’t «real.» Our 4 year old loved it all! We had the cheaper seats for $ 30. It included a cookie and chocolate milk as well as a story being read, Christmas carols, the train conductor coming around and a little time with Santa on the train. You do not get off the train. There is a little «village» that they have made at the end of their track that is decorated with lights, and a «snow effect» and Santa gets onboard there. There is also a time to take pics with Santa at the end of the trip when you get back to the station. The village is on the south side of the train. Bring a blanket but you might not need it– only if you sit next to an open window. It was 55 when we went and it was comfortable on the train. Cons: the train interior is not maintained very well– the seats were ripped a little, and we were looking forward to hot chocolate they only had chocolate milk.
We enjoyed the holiday decorations at the train depot and the carousel– an extra $ 2 per person. Fun but not something we would do every year.

Can’t say anything about the quality or service or anything since we don’t get a chance to try!!!
Paid online a week ahead, and booked a hotel room in the area so we can explorer more about Ventura County. Got a call 17 hours before the Saturday excursion train departure, that the train was cancelled!!! My hotel room cannot be refunded and I only get a couple hours to re-​plan my whole weekend in that area!!!

We did the Saturday afternoon excursion trip (family of four with two kids aged 2 & 4).
The train left fillmore station and about an hour later we got to santa Paula. Visited the agriculture museum adjacent to train tracks. The museum was only $ 2 per adult for train riders, and kids were free! they had costumes for kids, a bee hive, and a tractor for kids to climb on. Spent an hr there and then climbed aboard for a 20 min ride to loose caboose gift shop. After about half hr there, 35 min train ride back to fillmore.
Great way to spend an afternoon!!! The kids LOVED it! Extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff, who are more than willing to tell you the history behind the locomotives and train cars. They sold snacks, sodas, beer and wine on the train. Needless to say the wife and I enjoyed a cold one (i think beer was $ 5 each — reasonably priced) while enjoying the beautiful weather of the open air train car! Kids munched on cracker jacks.
All in all, would recommend the weekend excursion for families with young kids who love trains and want an afternoon out. They don’t mention it on their website, but if you call them on the phone to buy tix, they offer a AAA discount. Take advantage of that!

It is a show/​dinner train. There is live entertainment while you are on the train for few hours and they serve dinner at the same time.
The Service: One server has to take care multiple tables. Each table has 4 customers. Service is considered slow…
The Food: Taste like cafeteria food. Food is pre-​cooked, not even warm. Under seasoned. Way overpriced for the dinner/​show.
The Parking: Street Parking
Won’t recommend family or friends to go.