The Southern Michigan Railroad is an all-volunteer, non-profit railroad preservation society. The crew members you see are passionate about what we do and are glad to welcome you aboard! The railroad equipment in the collection is vintage, with some pieces over 100 years old, and our volunteers work very hard to maintain and restore the equipment as time and money allows. Your ticket purchase, souvenir purchase, or donation goes right back to the Society to support our mission of preserving this railroad and this equipment for years to come.

Unfortunately, our historic railroad equipment does not meet the current Americans with Disabilities Act standards at this time. Guests will be asked to climb 3-4 stairs to enter our train cars. Our volunteers can assist guests up and down the stairs and help them to a seat near the entrance to the train car. Our train can accommodate collapsible wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers in various locations to store them during your trip, but they cannot be used to move throughout the train during your ride. Many excursions include a boarding location that is not paved and is accessed by gravel paths and mowed lawn.

We unfortunately do not have a traditional train station structure as a part of our collection. Details about where you will board the train can be found on your ticket. Please note that not all trains depart from the same location.

For trains departing from our main office at 301 Bartlett Street, free parking is available on-site.

For trains departing from downtown Tecumseh, free parking is available throughout the downtown area.

For trains departing from other station locations, please refer to specific parking instructions included with your ticket.

Our trains will depart on schedule and will not wait for late passengers. Please refer to your ticket for information about what time your train will depart. Please plan to arrive 20 minutes prior to departure. The Conductor will begin the boarding process 15 minutes prior to departure.

You will check in with the Conductor at the time of your train ride. The Conductor will begin the board process 15 minutes prior to departure. Please have your QR code ticket ready to scan. We strongly recommend saving, downloading, or printing the QR code in advance.

Most trains feature seating selections by car. Seating within each car is filled on a first come, first served basis. Our volunteers try their best to seat groups together.

You are welcome to walk around your train car during the ride, but we ask that you please remain inside your selected car for the duration of the trip. Most trains feature seating selection by car, so there may not be available space in another car on the train. You are welcome to walk through the rest of the train while the train is stopped in the station; however, please ask a crew member about touring one of the private cabooses.

Tickets are non-refundable.

Tickets can be rescheduled to another date or time, subject to availability. Contact us by phone or email to inquire about rescheduling.

Customers will receive a full refund only in the case of a railroad cancellation due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Funds will be released back to your account by Southern Michigan Railroad within 48 hours, but depending on your banking institution, it may take up to 30 days to receive your funds.

No-shows will be charged the full price.

No, there are no functioning restrooms aboard the train. There are restrooms located at or near the station platform. Please plan extra time to find and use the facilities before boarding the train.

That depends on what train ride experience you booked! Please refer to your ticket and the applicable information on our ticketing pages for details about your trip.

During cold weather, our train cars are heated by either wood stove or propane heaters. None of our train cars have air conditioning. The enclosed cabooses and coaches feature operable windows that can be opened to let in fresh air during warm weather. Our volunteers do their best to keep the train comfortable for guests, but most experiences include time spent outdoors, so we still recommend dressing for the weather!

Our trains operate rain or shine! Regardless of your train car booking, we recommend all guests dress for the weather as some portions of your train ride experience will be spent outside.

Please note that passengers who are booked in an open air car may not be able to be accommodated inside in the event of inclement weather.

In the event of severe weather, we reserve the right to cancel train rides. Customers will receive a full refund only in the case of a railroad cancellation due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Funds will be released back to your account by Southern Michigan Railroad within 48 hours, but depending on your banking institution, it may take up to 30 days to receive your funds. Tickets can be rescheduled to another date or time, subject to availability. Contact us by phone or email to inquire about rescheduling.

We strongly encourage purchasing tickets for your ride in advance. Tickets can be purchased on our ticketing page or by calling our volunteer ticket agent. Tickets may be available for purchase at the station, subject to availability.

Yes! Please visit our gift shop in our office during your visit. We stock a variety of souvenirs to remember your trip or gift to your favorite railfan. Select items may be available from one of our tents during Tecumseh’s Appleumpkin Festival or the Clinton Fall Festival.

We kindly ask you to leave your pets at home when visiting our railroad. Service animals are always welcome.

Yes! You are welcome to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages with you on your journey. Please keep in mind that we are volunteers and not your maid, so please make an effort to clean up after yourself and keep our train looking nice for our next guests. There are trash receptacles located throughout the train and nearby all train platforms.

Should you purchase alcohol during your time with us, such as from one of the many fantastic businesses in Tecumseh, please ensure that it remains unopened while aboard the train. No open containers are permitted on our excursions.

No, smoking is not permitted aboard the train.