October 23, 2026
Trackside Dispatch: Issue #1
A caboose motel, a Harvey House, and two holiday steam trains to plan around.
Hi friends,
Welcome to the very first Trackside Dispatch! Trackside Stays started with a simple question: where can a train fan actually sleep near the rails? The map now has 46 verified stays, from caboose motels to grand old union stations. Every couple of weeks I'll send a few favorites and the steam trips worth planning around.
3 stays worth the trip
Red Caboose Motel & Restaurant, Ronks, PA
A classic caboose motel in Lancaster County's Amish Country. It opened in 1970 with 19 cabooses and now has 38, plus a baggage car and a mail car, all painted in the colors of famous railroads. The Strasburg Rail Road's steam trains and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania are close by.
See the listing →
The General Palmer Hotel, Durango, CO
A 39-room boutique hotel built in 1898 by General William Jackson Palmer. It sits on the same block as the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad depot, so the steam trains leave just steps from your door.
See the listing →
La Posada Hotel, Winslow, AZ
Fred Harvey's last great railroad hotel, designed by Mary Colter and opened in 1930. It still doubles as Amtrak's Winslow stop on the Southwest Chief, and BNSF freights roll past day and night. The grounds face the platform, so the trains are part of the scenery.
See the listing →
Steam on the calendar
Strasburg Rail Road Christmas trains, Strasburg, PA (Nov 21 – Dec 24, 2026)
Santa's Paradise Express runs weekends Nov 21 through Dec 20, plus Nov 27 and every day Dec 21–24. It's a 45-minute steam round trip through Amish farm country to Paradise, PA, with carolers and Santa on board. The evening Night Before Christmas trains run Fri–Sun nights through Dec 20, plus Dec 21–23. The railroad says these sell out fast. Bonus: the Red Caboose Motel is just down the road.
Source: strasburgrailroad.com
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Durango, CO (Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027)
The Polar Express departs the Durango Depot behind a vintage steam train. Want something longer? The Cascade Canyon Winter Train runs select dates from Nov 20 through April 30, 2027. It's a five-hour round trip up the Animas River with an hour by the fire at Cascade Canyon.
Sources: durangotrain.com/now-booking · Cascade Canyon Winter Train
Schedules can change, so always check with the railroad before you book.
That's the dispatch
Know a caboose, boxcar, or depot hotel that should be on the map? Submit it here. And if a friend loves trains too, send them to tracksidestays.com.
See you down the line,
Cole
Trackside Stays