Southern Railroad
Howl Aboard! Let a Spooky Halloween Train Ride Spirit You Away by Michael Gleason
Booo… chooo… chooooooo… there’s an eerie express on the horizon… it’s a haunted Halloween train ride… trolling down a track near you!
Halloween train rides are super, natural choices for celebrating the year’s spookiest season. Trains are as varied as the ghosts that haunt them, from quaint narrow-gauge steam trains to diesel-powered streamliners. Pumpkin trains head out into sun-baked fields, their passengers in pursuit of the perfect jack-o-lantern. Party trains assemble a masked mob of witches, warlocks, super heroes and storybook characters to compete for best costume prizes. Night trains venture down isolated rail beds and through shadowy landscapes lit only by the light of the moon.
Among the range of Halloween themed trains, trick-or-treating and haunted house excursions are favorites. Unique rides featuring on-train dining and murder mystery performances are not uncommon. And pick-your-own-pumpkin excursions are always full. In any event, costumes are always encouraged.
Conjuring up a Halloween train ride event in your area doesn’t require a lot of hocus pocus. Scenic and heritage railways offering hosting Spook-tacular celebrations can be found in dozens of states. The 2009 guide to Halloween train rides, posted on TrainTraveling.com, features an extensive list of such railways.
Western U.S.A.
Hollywood-style magic cranks up the Halloween mojo at railways across the Western U.S.
Among the country’s dozens of pumpkin trains, Peanuts
