For those who can’t make it to the Christmas train rides in Georgia, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway’s 2-hour Winter Express Tour and 4-hour Winter Extended Tour run on different days.

No one knows precisely when the train custom started, but it has been a part of Christmas in the U.S. since the early 1900s, rooted in nostalgia and passed down from one generation to the next.

A Lionel toy train around the Christmas tree continues to be a fixture of holiday tradition in some families. The iconic American company is about to roll into its 125th anniversary.