The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is extending its Twilight Pumpkin trains, with the Not-So-Scary, Scary Animal Show put on by Silly Safari Shows, to all four Saturdays in October.
The Animal Show begins at 4:30 p.m., Central Time, and then the diesel train pulls away from the depot area at 5:30 p.m., Central Time, for a unique excursion through the Indiana Fall countryside.
Additional diesel Pumpkin Trains will run on Saturdays in October. These 10-mile, round-trip excursions to the Kankakee River take approximately 45 minutes and will then drop passengers off at the Pumpkin Patch and fall activities on the museum grounds.
Steam Pumpkin Trains take approximately 25 minutes. They depart from the depot and travel approximately 1.4 miles to the park returning to the Pumpkin Patch and fall activities on the museum grounds.
Please check the website for departure times and prices. Child tickets include a pumpkin. Additional pumpkins can be purchased at the ticket office before departure for $3 each.
Before boarding, passengers purchasing tickets online need to pick up their tickets at the ticket office. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. For handicap accessibility, prior arrangements must be made by calling the depot, and are available only on diesel excursions.
Before or after your train excursion, allow time to explore the HVRM museum displays and grounds which is free of charge. HVRM has one of the largest museum collections of working railroad signals, a restored WWII Pullman Troop Car, and a diorama of North Judson in the era 1950s depicting the Pennsylvania, Chesapeake & Ohio, Erie, and New York Central railroads which all ran through the town. Walk around the grounds to see all types of rolling stock, engines, and memorabilia of a bygone era.
Tickets are available online at www.hoosiervalley.org or by calling the depot on Saturdays at 574-869-3950. Groups of six or more receive $2 off each ticket purchased. Please book in advance, as many of these special trains sell out.
Located in North Judson, the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is an all-volunteer, non-profit educational organization dedicated to the preservation of railroad history in northwest Indiana. The museum educates the public through interpretive displays and its tourist railroad operations. Additional information about the museum can be found online at www.hoosiervalley.org.
