Taieri Gorge Railway ran three suburban trains between Dunedin and Mosgiel, Dunedin and Port Chalmers, and Dunedin, Purakaunui and Waitati.
Chief executive Murray Bond said about 1000 people, including a school holiday group, used the service.
Magic Childcare supervisor Don Crowl said about 90 children from the scheme travelled, and the trip was considered a "highlight of the programme".
Gabrielle Davie took her children Tessa (1) and Finn (3) Abey, along with friend Julie Ryan and her 10-week-old son Daniel, from Dunedin to Mosgiel and back for something "a bit different".
"Kids just love trains," she said.
She said it was because they often appeared in children's books but there were few opportunities to ride them in Dunedin.
