You can choose your own adventure to take place on the Nickel Plate Express! (Photos provided by Nickle Plate Express)
Posted By: The Reporter September 5, 2025
Submitted
If you grew up loving “choose your own adventure” books, get ready to live one in real time.
For the first time ever, Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad is partnering with the Snapdragon Society to present Fragile!, a two-hour immersive storytelling adventure at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.
Tickets are $55 per person (with an optional Snapdragon Society lapel pin for $10).
Photo provided by Nickle Plate Express
What to expect
- Distributed small groups: Guests will join teams of up to six “agents” and collaborate throughout vintage train cars.
- Historic immersion: Ride aboard authentic 1950s-era dining cars.
- Collaborative mystery-solving: No acting experience needed; just improvise, solve puzzles, and shape the story as you go.
- Living history tie-ins: Challenges and clues connect directly to milestones in Nickel Plate Road history.
“The Snapdragon Society has been a historical fiction RPG adventure series for years now,” Game Master and Snapdragon Society Founder Apelles Johnson. “We’ve played through many pivotal points in American history, but hosting the Society while rumbling through my hometown on a period-accurate train is a dream come true.”
Step into the story
On board, the year is May 30, 1959. Your mission? Protect Cole Fletcher of the Indiana Glass Company and his groundbreaking heat-resistant glass formula from rival saboteurs. Guided by trained storytellers, your team’s choices will determine every twist and turn of this high-stakes tale – set against the backdrop of Noblesville’s storied rail corridor.
“We’re excited to offer something new and unique that blends the history of our train with an engaging, interactive adventure,” Director of Events Alisha Findlay said. “Fragile! invites guests not just to witness history, but to become part of it.”
Event details
- Date & time: Friday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. (approximately two hours)
- Cost: $55 per person (lapel pin: $10)
- Age recommendation: 18 and up (mature themes); mature teens welcome with an adult
- Onboard purchases: Drinks and snacks available (credit cards only)
- Accessibility: Due to historic equipment, the train is not wheelchair accessible.
Seats are extremely limited. Reserve now at NickelPlateExpress.com or email info@nickelplateexpress.com.
Looking ahead
Fragile! is the first of many Snapdragon Society stories planned aboard Nickel Plate Express. Future installments will be hosted at the Arcadia Depot, bringing even more history-meets-adventure experiences to life.
About Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad
Since 2018, Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad has offered hands-on historical experiences aboard restored 1950s equipment between Atlanta and Noblesville. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, NPHR preserves America’s railroading past through themed excursions, educational programs, and immersive events like the Snapdragon Society series.
