For the weekend of May 17th and 18th, 2025, our Niles Canyon Railway operated our weekend excursions out of our Niles Station in celebration of Charlie Chaplin Days in Niles, the location of early silent film production by Chaplin and Broncho Billy in the 1910s. For the Sunday rides, our steam locomotive, Robert Dollar Co. #3, led the trains.
Image by Christopher Hauf – Used with permission
For our 10:30 AM departure, we noticed a familiar face in the crowd, the man of the weekend, Charlie Chaplin himself. Here is a set of photos of Mr. Chaplin interacting with our passengers and thanks for coming over from the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum for a visit and ride. We encourage everyone to check out this wonderful museum in downtown Niles filled with local film history!
Images courtesy of Christopher Hauf – Used with permission
Our weekend train rides will move back to our standard Sunol departure station from June on. Steam will make a return on Sundays in September and October. Please visit our 2025 Rides Page to learn more.