Photo: Minnesota Transportation Museum
View fall colors from The Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway.
Autumn rolls around each year with the same spectacular showcase of changing leaves. While the sight never ceases to amaze residents and visitors alike, a local mainstay makes it possible to witness
the shifting Valley from a unique perspective.
Starting September 16, The Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway offers round-trip fall color locomotive excursions from the Osceola Depot in Wisconsin to Marine on St.Croix. On Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through late October, the historic 1950s locomotive (pulling up to 10 early 20th century passenger cars) departs from the bluff, traveling along the river past waterfalls and lush forests, eventually crossing the St. Croix River via Soo Line High Bridge.
“It’s an incredibly beautiful ride, especially in the fall with the colored leaves,” says Scott Hippert, executive director of the Minnesota Transportation Museum. “And the views from the bridge are just spectacular.”
On the weekend of October 20–22, the Pumpkin Express takes families on a 25-minute ride from Osceola to Dresser, Wisconsin. Once there, kids (15 and under) can pick out their own pumpkin from the patch and enjoy fun and festivities at a small-town festival. Activities include: games, bouncy houses and vendors, along with opportunities to operate a hand-cart or ride an old speeder car down the rails.
“The Pumpkin Express is just our busiest weekend of the year,” Hippert says. “It’s a good time to not just [enjoy] time with the kids and enjoy the pumpkin patch and the Haunted Depot, but it’s one of the last opportunities to pick up homemade jams and jellies and apple cider and honey from local vendors.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit transportationmuseum.org.
The Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway
114 Depot Road, Osceola, Wisconsin; 651.228.0263
Facebook: Minnesota Transportation Museum & Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway
Instagram: @mn_trainmuseum
