Ride a Restored WWII Stuart Tank at Colgate Grove — Orbisonia’s Lady Lois Experience

At Colgate Grove, just off Orbisonia Station in Rockhill, Pennsylvania, history moves under your feet. Stuart Tank Rides invites visitors into the turret of Lady Lois, a fully restored and operational WWII M3A1 Stuart Light Tank, for a 5-10 minute, roughly one-mile ride that makes military history tactile and immediate. The experience runs during EBT Goes To War Weekend and is staged in partnership with the Stuart Tank Memorial Association Museum, which preserves the story of more than 13,000 Stuarts built at American Car & Foundry’s Berwick factory.

The visit begins at Orbisonia Station, where you pick up physical tickets, receive an orientation, and board the Northbound Colgate Grove excursion train required to reach the ride site. Riders climb a ladder into the tank turret with help from crew members and borrow authentic tanker helmets and goggles for safety and immersion. Seats are extremely limited—two riders per time slot—so plan your train departure carefully and arrive early to collect tickets and sign the museum’s ride waiver.

What makes this outing special is the collision of two Americana forms: a preserved short-line rail experience and a rolling piece of wartime engineering. The M3A1 Stuart’s riveted steel skin, compact profile, and the mechanical thrum beneath the turret are rare to feel firsthand; many museums keep these machines static. Here you move, hear gears engage, and feel the tank’s suspension negotiate country track, turning a postcard of military history into a five-minute sensory memory.

Practical details matter: riders must be at least ten years old, wear closed-toe shoes, and be able to climb into the vehicle with limited assistance. The attraction is not ADA accessible. Tickets are nonrefundable, and train tickets to Colgate Grove must be purchased to access the ride. Check offered time slots and coordinate with the excursion schedule—later rides require specific northbound trains.

This is an ideal stop for history buffs, families with older children, and anyone who wants an up-close look at armored warfare technology without a museum rope between you and the artifact. Proceeds support the Berwick-based museum’s restoration and outreach work, so your seat also helps preserve these machines and the stories of the crews who rode them. For a short, visceral dose of the past that arrives with steam and steel, the Stuart Tank Ride at Colgate Grove is unmatched in the region.

Plan to arrive at Orbisonia Station at least thirty to ninety minutes before your scheduled departure to collect tickets, use facilities, and review safety instructions. Photography is allowed on the exterior; please follow crew direction during boarding. Because proceeds benefit preservation, consider visiting the Stuart Tank Memorial Association Museum exhibits in Berwick and supporting volunteer-led restorations that keep these machines moving forward now.