All aboard! Great Pumpkin Express brings Halloween magic to the Northland

DULUTH, Minn. — What’s better than picking out the perfect pumpkin? How about arriving to the pumpkin patch in style.

Each year the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and North Shore Scenic Railroad bring a little magic to MEA weekend with the Great Pumpkin Express.

“When everybody’s in town enjoying the fall colors and the wonderful weather we’re having, what we do is take a train load of people out to our pumpkin patch. There’s a field of pumpkins to choose from. Pick the very best one you can find, bring it home, make it into a Halloween Jack O’ Lantern,” Ken Buehler, North Shore Scenic Railroad General Manager.

After boarding, the Great Pumpkin Train chugs up the shore to a pumpkin field right along the tracks. Where every passenger gets to hop off and choose a pumpkin to haul home.

“It’s that new experience for our youngest train enthusiasts, and when they get off that train with a smile on their face, holding that pumpkin and having a great time and making memories with their families, that’s why this event has grown to be so popular,” Buehler said.