Typically held each June, Carillon Historical Park’s Rail Festival is a two-day family fun event featuring free miniature train rides, live steam engines, model train displays, historical displays, train merchandise, rail vendors, and much more.
Carillon Historical Park is home to B&O #1, John Quincy Adams (the oldest existing American-built locomotive), a Barney & Smith wooden parlor car, an Interurban, a train station, and more. Presented by the Carillon Park Rail & Steam Society, Rail Festival is a perfect complement to Carillon Historical Park’s rail-themed artifacts, many of which are located in the James F. Dicke Family Transportation Center.
Event Hours
Saturday, June 24, 2023: 9:30am–5:00pm
Sunday, June 25, 2023: 11:00am–4:00pm
Carillon Rail Festival Admission
$14 per adult (18-59)
$12 per senior (60+)
$10 per child (3 –17)
Free to Children age 2 and under
Free to Members
Location
1000 Carillon Blvd.
Dayton, Ohio 45409
Parking
FREE parking is available at Carillon Historical Park
Carillon Park Railroad
The Carillon Park Railroad was built with education by demonstration in mind. A complete operating 1/8th scale railroad with the sights and sounds of the railroad industry from its earliest days to the present. All locomotive types: steam, electric and diesel, are operated on the railroad and serve to both preserve and demonstrate historical technologies
The railroad completed its original 1200ft track in 1987. It has grown through the years to its present size of just over a mile (8 scale miles) and includes the facilities in common use on railroads through out the world: switches, bridges, a tunnel, storage yards, turntable and maintenance facilities.
The ultimate demonstration is to take a ride on the railroad. Passenger trains for Museum visitors are operated from 1:00 to 4:00PM on 14 days in late spring, summer and early fall and for other special events through out the year.
For their own enjoyment, testing of new locomotives, new equipment or for engineer training, Society members may operate their own and/or club equipment either before and/or after the scheduled Museum operating session.
In addition to regular and special event operations, the Society also demonstrates the railroad each spring for the hundreds of local area school students making field trips to the CHP Museum. During the summer the Society participates in the CHP Museum History Day Camp.