Cape Cod Central Railroad

We just went on the dinner train and enjoyed it greatly. Found the food better than I expected and the waiter was very friendly. It is expensive but you are paying for a quality meal and the ride. We went at night int he fall so only saw a little bit but enjoyed seeing the bridge and the canal. They had an employee who came around and told about the history of the train car we were in and that was great. We did have someone collecting the parking and they were helpful. It left right on time and the conductor came around three times to see how things were going.

I usually read Unilocal reviews before buying tickets to something… I didn’t in this case and I kind of wish I had. It wasn’t a terrible experience, but it certainly was not worth the money I paid. I wanted to do something cute and romantic for a date so I booked the train, as the website shows great pictures. I chose the «Diamond» seating which was premium seating on the train. The seating was nice in that we were seated higher than everyone else and in a car with our own bathroom and only 6 people total.
«Scenic» is an overreaching term to be honest. As others have said, you mostly just see the backyards of people who live near the tracks and a few salt marshes and cranberry bogs. If you don’t go on the train in the fall, when the bogs are almost at harvest, then the bogs just look like brown, dead fields of grass. During the first hour of the trip, the train goes at a leisurely pace and a narrator tells stories of the history of the area and what we are seeing, however, on the way back… it’s the exact same route and you go full speed with no narration! Just seemed like a waste… why not have enough to talk about for the whole trip? or take a different route back?
Overall, it wasn’t horrible, but you can spend your money on something better. If it had been around $ 20 a person… It would have been worth it, but it was not worth the $ 47/​person that I paid!

I’m channeling Michael Scott right now.
No, NO, NO GOD NO, NOOOOOOOOO!
It was mid July and we were in Hyannis, and someone said, «Hey, they’re train rides here». «Like old fashioned train rides?» I said. «I dunno, let’s do it!»
So then we went, and nothing happened. Oh we got on, we rode, on a stupid commuter looking train that was years old, (and not nostalgic at all) and rode past trees, and trees, and trees. That was it. Save your money, ride the boats again.

The Brunch service of the Cape Cod Central Railroad is exactly as advertised, but not much more. The menu options were limited and some what overpriced, but enjoyable. I went with the Eggs Oscar, a Cape Cod take on Eggs Benny with a slice of steak and crab meat on top. Along side this I had a mimosa and a fruit salad topped with sorbet. The car itself was comfortable, I see other reviews complaining of hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but I think we picked the perfect time (Fall), not only was it a fine temperature, but the foliage was just lovely. Not too long, not too short, with some decent scenery thrown in. Dont expect to see beaches, but some great marsh-​scapes.

1. Nice train ride. I have a short attention span, so I was ready to get off after 3 hours. We went on 9÷13÷14.
2. COST: You get a 5 course meal so it is probably comparable to other restaurants, plus you get a train ride. If you want a private table you will have to pay an extra 20 dollars to have your own table in addition to 80 dollars per person. We paid the extra 20 and I think the few couples who did not, likely regretted having to sit near some over talkative tourist for 3 hours… And no they wont let you sit by yourself for free even if there are spare tables… The tables seat 4, so if you’re a party of four you obviously do not need to pay for a private table.
DO NOT spend 5 dollars for parking. No one was there to check our paid ticket pass and there is plenty of free parking around… Ugh. I kind of want my 5 dollars back lol.
Besides that I think price is okay.
3. FOOD. It was good. I had the chicken dish and my fiancé had the beef. I heard the chowder was amazing from numerous passengers (I don’t eat chowder). I think it is great that there are snacks already at your table when you are seated. Our train departed at 5:30 and there was a pretty steady stream of food until our dinner arrived at 7.
4.SEATING. We sat in the odd number seats… Thank God we had the best view of the cape cod canal and the best views in general. I don’t know if they allow you to request seats… But it is worth a try.
5. Scenery/Appearance:.To the people who complained that there were too many trees and back yards during the train ride… Do you want the railroad company to plant/​landscape better scenery for you? Like, seriously lol.
Also the train appearance inside is okay, but slightly antiquated. Overall my fiancé and I enjoyed ourselves. I would give the experience 3 ½−4 stars.

I cannot believe this train is still running. If you want to pay a high price to look at people’s back yards, look at trees, bake on a hot day, listen to loud whistles every few minutes, breathe in fumes, then go for it. Waste of time and money. I can only think the five star reviews are written by the owners.

Been coming to the Cape for 35+ years and this was our first ride in the Cape Cod Railway. We had a nice ride, enjoying the scenery and the narration. Learned a lot about the Cape that we didn’t known. Would recommend to a friend.

Very disappointed — we did the «Shoreline Excursion Train»… What they did was ½ the train was a ‘lunch train’ and the other half was the ‘excursion train.” Since we didn’t pay extra for the lunch, we get there and we find that our seats are actually on a modern double decker train! They took two modern rapid transit trains and hooked them between antique train cars and loaded passengers on it!
Nothing like what is shown in the brochure or on the internet! My children were disappointed just as I was. «This is just like the purple line!» Yes. The interior was it was identical to the MBTA commuter rail.
Boring narrative and the «scenic» view consisted of people’s back yards and front lawns. Must mention the 5.00 parking.
I would skip this trip.

My 5 year old loves trains. He collects them and loves to ride them. He found a brochure of the Cape Cod Railroad in Grandpa’s things and added it to his collection of brochures and flyers.
I came across a Groupon for this place and was excited to be able to take him. We drove 1.5 hours to get there.
We get there and we find that our seats are actually on a modern Sarasota Railroad train! They took two modern rapid transit trains and hooked them between antique train cars and loaded passengers on it!
Nothing like what is shown in the brochure or on the internet! My commuter rail T pass would have given us a more entertaining ride. My children were disappointed just as I was. «Mommy– this is just like the purple line!» Yes. The interior was it was identical to the MBTA commuter rail. It was so boring, my kids went to sleep!
My son dancing around when I told him we were going to ride an new antique train and this railroad company ruined his experience.
This is not for the true train enthusiast so if you want the antique train ride experience, make sure that’s what your getting when you call.
I have taken my son on quite a few railroad ventures in New Hampshire and Connecticut. This is the first company to have the audacity to do such a fraudulent thing as wedge a commuter trains between antique cars.
Called Groupon, they confirmed that the description was for a scenic ride on an ANTIQUE train– they refunded my money. We wasted a day of vacation on this and gas. My children not have a good time — they fell asleep out of pure boredom. Boring narrative and the «scenic» view consisted of people’s back yards and front lawns. Must mention the 5.00 parking only to find my car was blocked in since they unsafely crammed as many cars as they could on their lot. So I had to wait for the cluster of cars in front to figure out how they could get out before I could.
If you haven’t gone yet — get your money back!!!

My husband took me for a dinner aboard the Cape Cod Central Railroad dinner train. It was December, and my husband told me it was dressy, so I wore a dress. That was my big mistake.
It was a romantic evening, with a crusty old ticketed, giving us the history of this train, how it used to be an AMTRAK run, and how it was taken over. Our appetizers and dinner were delicious, with crackling music playing over our heads. I was unaware that the doors to the train would be left open during our meal, and my legs were freezing. I tried not to let my personal discomfort disrupt our meal, but it was difficult. The engineer announced town after town, then a point of interest is a jail.
I don’t want to see a jail normally, I certainly don’t want to see one on a romantic dinner. Still, it was a big announcement by the conductor as we went by. We passed a pond, where the moon shown upon it, just so very beautiful. Still, I believe frost bit was setting into my legs, as my husband touched my legs and he was concerned about the lack of circulation.
Our coffee and desserts were incredible, we had a chocolate ganasche with raspberry sauce, which topped the meal. My husband was very concerned about me, and the temperature of my legs, thinking that I may need to go to the hospital. We left, got in the car and put the heater on and I was fine.
However I would not suggest wearing a dress in December, as the doors are left open between the cars. We were seated near the door. All in all, this was a very special night to remember, and I do recommend it.

This is a fine experience, but vastly overpriced for what it is. The food is okay but nothing fancy, the interior of the train car is pretty drab, the windows are so dirty that it’s hard to see, and the view isn’t much to see anyway. For $ 90/​person for dinner (not including alcoholic beverages), I wouldn’t do it again.
Also, for $ 90, you’re actually paying for a seat at a table with strangers. This is only advertised on their website if you look at the «Fares» page, but not if you go directly to order. The only way to get a private table is to call and pay $ 20 extra. Well, the train car happened to be half empty, but my boyfriend and I were still seated with a woman and her elderly mother rather than one of the five empty tables. (It’s a very mature crowd on this train — we were the youngest people.) The ladies we were seated with made it clear they were confused by this and would have wanted to have the table to themselves, so we asked to move. The waiter moved us and then, after we had moved, mentioned that we would be charged $ 20 extra for this. It seemed like poor customer service when the price is already so steep, the tables were sitting there empty, and we were attempting to be considerate.
Overall it was pleasant but hard to get past how much it was costing for an experience that did not seem worth it.

On the train as I type and am so impressed! I read the reviews and most of the complaints are quite silly. The food and staff are amazing! I have very happy 3 & 4 yr old boys!

Wife and I had a great time ont the dinner train. To you people who do not like the BANG GROW UP! ITS A TRAIN. SERIOUSLY … Dinner was fantastic and was romantic. My suggestion is to pay the extra for the private table

I kind of laughed at some of the previous reviews… not sure what people expected from an old train. My wife loves trains, so I surprised her over the weekend. It really was a fun time. Though you mainly see trees, cranberry bogs and the canal — it’s still scenic. Well worth $ 20 ea. to just have a nice 2+ hour trip.

If you care about trains and/​or nostagia, you’ll be more apt to enjoy the CCCR. We had a relaxing evening dinner with friends on the CCCR. It was a beautiful early fall night, and the staff was friendly and helpful. The train and cars are very interesting and authentic. The scenery is nice, and if you are a train lover you’ll enjoy it. If not… your mileage may vary. The train does sway and when it gets up to speed it can be bumpy and loud. Just the way vintage trains should be!
The meal? First, I realize that the chances of encountering fine dining on a tourist railroad are very low. If you’re lucky you’ll get something decently prepared and competent service. That’s what we got. The dinner service did start out slow as the wait staff tried to get everyone’s drink orders at once. As far as the meals, they were unspectacular but satisfactory. There is no a la carte, you choose either the beef, chicken, fish or vegetarian entrees when you reserve. I had the fish, rather bland but nice and moist. They did a nice job cooking the apsaragus just right, but they put too much sauce on everything. Full bar service.

We stopped in to get info on 8÷28÷12 around 2pm. The woman behind the counter was very unhelpful. She gave curt short answers and gave us the feeling that she just wanted us out of the way so she could sell a hat. We were interested in the dining tours and she wouldn’t expand or explain the Fall River tour and when we asked about the menu choices she just told us to look at the board. The young girl next to her offered to help and was cut off by the older woman. When we left the young girl apologized.
After reading the reviews we probably won’t bother but it would have been nice to bring my wife’s parents on the dinner train. Too bad,

Quaint, but mostly just views of tree-​lined track with the occasional pond and rarely, shoreline, until you reach the Sag bridge. If you want great views, just drive up the coast yourself.
If you have a party of three or more, don’t pay the extra «private» table fee… All tables seat 4, and they’ll only potentially seat you with another group if you are a party of two and there’s another party of two at a table by themselves.
We went on the brunch tour, and the food was excellent. Full bar. A little hard to maneuver with kids once they get rolling. Otherwise, a fun time.

Booooo to the «elegant» dinner train! The train rocks like crazy, makes a lot of uncomfortable noise, and the air in the cabin is stale and a bit mildewy.
We started out excited for this adventure and seeing all of the lovely sites of cape cod. Within 30 seconds of leaving the station we heard the first BANG. It sounded like a gunshot but we could also feel the entire cabin jump slightly. We wondered if we had run over something on the tracks, but a couple minutes later BANG! It was insanity. Thankfully we were able to salvage the trip by turning it into a drinking game. Every time the train banged we sipped our wine. We went through 5 bottles of wine between 4 of us and the waiter even commented that he has never seen a group drink so much. When we asked what the noise was, the waiter said «That’s what happens when you put together a 1920 train and a 1950’s engine» and he laughed about it. Not funny.
As far as «the amazing sites of cape cod», there are trees on both sides of the train for about 80% of the ride. However, you do get a nice view of a power plant for a bit. SKIP IT!

Do not waste your money on this tourist trap! Scenic tour? Yes, maybe what you can see through the trees surrounding the train. Let’s see, cranberry bogs (which are not as attractive as they appear on tv or in print), dumpsters, salt marshes and the backs of businesses and houses. Me and my gf are in our mid 20s and were about 40 years younger than any other passenger on that train. If you like scenic tours without scenes, an announcer who spends 20 minutes telling you about the nutritional facts of cranberries and refrigerator magnets (they take your picture than fiscally rape you for the souvenir), then this train is for you! If you are young, from NY, and have wasted enough time commuting on the LIRR, don’t waste your time.

Railroading on Cape Cod has a rich and colorful history, spanning over 150 years. The Cape Cod Central Railroad, offers train rides, complete with either a gourmet luncheon train, a Sunday brunch train, a family supper train or an elegant dinner train. Of course you don’t have to ride in the elegant dining cars, they also offer scenic rides or rail/​sail packages.
I was on a whirlwind two week tour from NYC to (and along the way touring) New England. I am glad that I added this to our itinerary and I would love to return to try the mystery dinner train… oh no, who dun it, who killed the engineer?
As a common courtesy you are expected to dress for each occasion. Tables are set, with white linen cloths and napkins, glass goblets and wine glasses, real china and good flatware. Menus also change often and can be checked out on line.
Once you reserve your table, you can then go on line and select your choices, alcohol is served. The food is very good. The ride is comfortable and relaxing and the scenes are priceless.
They have won awards for their gourmet food and voted in the top three in the nation. All aboard!
Links to their site: