The famous Queenscliff attraction, rated No.6 in the RACV's '101 Must Dos' list, takes guests on a 16-kilometre rail journey featuring live music, food and drink.

Although the festival won't be featuring the actual steam train and carriages used on the Bellarine Railway, a dedicated stage showcasing many of the train's finest regular musicians will be set up.

Guitar and mandolin whiz Jimi Hocking, of The Screaming Jets fame, will perform with blues and roots musicians including Lloyd Spiegel, Mojo Webb and Stringybark McDowell.

Hocking, who lives on the Mornington Peninsula and has performed on the train more than anyone else, said he looked forward to playing at the festival.

"I've played at the Knox Festival on the PBS stage before," he said. "I'll do some blues and roots sort of stuff, and then I'll draw on other parts of my career, including some of my rock stuff."

He said he hoped to recapture the energy shared with Spiegel - a talented blues guitarist - during a recent performance on the train.

"Me and Lloyd did a duo on the train recently, and we just looked at each other afterwards and said 'we have to do that again'."

Train organiser Hugo T Weaving said the train had been running for 17 years and remained very popular.

"Lots of people from the Knox area do attend the legendary Blues Train," he said.

The fact that a night on the train was a unique experience drove its popularity, he said.

"People come from all around Australia and overseas to do it, and the music fits perfectly with the train and the atmosphere."