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.

Three pumpkin train carries up to 1,500 people each day over three trips to the pumpkin patch. The event will through Sunday, with a few tickets still available for those who want to climb aboard.