Minnesota Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide

Last revised: October 2, 2026

Minnesota’s long ride is in Duluth. The North Shore Scenic Railroad, based at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in the old depot, runs the lakeshore toward Two Harbors on the days it posts a full trip, and shorter turns closer to town. The Duluth River Train, the Lake Superior & Mississippi, is a separate two-hour ride on the estuary, with a last 2026 run on October 18. In Minneapolis the Como-Harriet streetcar is still out on October weekends. Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 #261 does not have another 2026 mainline trip on the Friends’ excursion list. The Osceola train people pair with the Twin Cities boards in Wisconsin.

North Shore Scenic Railroad excursion along the Duluth waterfront

A North Shore Scenic Railroad excursion - led by former DM&IR SD18 #193 - along the Duluth waterfront has become an iconic and popular location offering guests fantastic view of the lake and the city. North Shore Scenic Railroad photo.

Tourism and excursion destinations only. Intercity travel: Amtrak Empire Builder (Detroit Lakes, Staples, St. Cloud, St. Paul Union Depot, Red Wing, Winona) and the daily Borealis between St. Paul and Chicago, with Minnesota stops at Winona, Red Wing, and Union Depot.

Minnesota Train Rides at a Glance

Railroad / attraction	Area	Notes	Site / deep dive
North Shore Scenic Railroad	Duluth	Duluth Zephyr about 75 minutes, or Northwoods Explorer about 2½ hours. Two Harbors fall trip about 6 hours, posted through October 8	duluthtrains.com · (218) 722-1273
Duluth River Train	West Duluth	About 2 hours on the estuary. Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Last run October 18	duluthrivertrain.com
Como-Harriet Streetcar	Minneapolis	October weekends, 1:00–4:00 p.m. Round trip about 15 minutes from Linden Hills	trolleyride.org

Confirm the day’s train. Pumpkin, terror, beer, and Christmas tickets are not the ordinary scenic. Compiled October 2, 2026.

State Rail History (Brief)

Minnesota’s first train is unusually well documented. The territorial legislature chartered the Minnesota & Pacific on May 22, 1857. The Panic of 1857 stopped it. In March 1862 the legislature handed the rights to the St. Paul & Pacific. On June 28, 1862, the 4-4-0 William Crooks hauled a ceremonial train over the ten miles from St. Paul to St. Anthony, which is now part of Minneapolis. Regular service began July 2. James J. Hill and his associates took the property in the late 1870s, reorganized it as the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba in 1879, and folded that company into the Great Northern in 1889–90. The Great Northern reached Puget Sound in 1893. The William Crooks is at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, on loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Northern Pacific, chartered by Congress in 1864, was completed in 1883, with headquarters in St. Paul. Hill’s Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis was finished that same year. The Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, the Soo Line, was formed in 1883 to move grain and flour east. The Duluth & Iron Range delivered the first ore to Two Harbors in 1884. Canadian National took the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range on May 10, 2004. The North Shore Scenic Railroad runs on a piece of that Missabe lakeshore. A fuller map is on the Minnesota railroads page.

Related: Railroad history · Wisconsin · North Dakota · Iowa.

Tourist Railroads & Excursions

North Shore Scenic Railroad

Trains leave the St. Louis County Depot at 506 West Michigan Street in Duluth. The ticket office is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The phone is (218) 722-1273. The ordinary scenic is the Duluth Zephyr, about 75 minutes, or the Northwoods Explorer, about two and a half hours. Both are described as running from May into mid-October. The homepage says excursions generally run Friday through Sunday. A full October clock for every weekend was not reprinted here. Open the booking calendar for the day you want. The Two Harbors Fall Colors trip is the long one, about six hours including the layover, posted from September 10 through October 8, 2026.

The Northwoods Dinner Train, Friday and Saturday evenings from July 31 through September 26, has ended. It is not on the October list. A Beer Tasting Train on October 9, about two and a half to three hours, is its own ticket. The Great Pumpkin Train is October 15 through 18. Everyone gets a pumpkin, and museum admission is included. The Terror Train on October 30 is about three hours, an adult costume party. The railroad says it is not a haunted house and that riders are not chased. Christmas City Express is now posted from November 27 through December 20. That calendar was not up when the Christmas guide was last revised in late summer, so use the railroad’s specials page for the times.

North Shore fall trains · Minnesota fall foliage trains · Minnesota dinner trains · Minnesota Halloween trains · Minnesota Christmas trains · duluthtrains.com

Duluth River Train

The Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad is the other Duluth ride, on former Northern Pacific track along the estuary in West Duluth. The trip is about two hours. Saturdays and Sundays it leaves at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The railroad says the last run of 2026 is October 18. It is not the North Shore train, and it does not go to Two Harbors.

Duluth River fall trains · duluthrivertrain.com

Como-Harriet Streetcar Line

The Minnesota Streetcar Museum runs the Como-Harriet line from Linden Hills, 2330 West 42nd Street in Minneapolis. In October the cars are out Saturdays and Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. A round trip is about 15 minutes, along the old garden-track right of way between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun, now Bde Maka Ska. The Holly Trolley is a later holiday ticket, on the Christmas page. The Excelsior streetcar’s regular 2026 schedule ended in September. October there is special events only.

trolleyride.org · Minnesota railroad museums

Excursions Only When Announced

Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 #261, kept by the Friends of the 261 in Minneapolis, does not have another 2026 mainline trip on the excursion page. The July 17–19 USA 250 trips on the Twin Cities & Western have run. What remains on that list is the North Pole Express, December 4–6 and 10–13, and the railroad has not billed those trains as #261. An Ireland tour is listed for 2027. If a mainline trip is added, it will be on 261.com. Until then, do not drive to Minneapolis for a steam excursion.

The Osceola & St. Croix Valley Fall Colors train is the museum’s other ride. It boards in Osceola, Wisconsin. It is written up on the Wisconsin page.

Planning Tips

Duluth: the depot train if you want the lake. The river train if you want a shorter estuary ride and you are there before October 18. They are two railroads.
A meal: the 2026 Northwoods Dinner Train is over. October 9 is a beer tasting, not a dinner.
Twin Cities: Como-Harriet on an October weekend. Steam on the main line is not on the 2026 list.

Seasonal & Related Reading

Minnesota fall foliage trains · Minnesota Christmas trains · Minnesota dinner trains · Minnesota Halloween trains
Minnesota railroad history · Minnesota railroad museums · National tourist trains
Neighbors: Wisconsin · North Dakota · Iowa

Always verify schedules on the operator’s website before you travel. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.

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