Oregon Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide

Last revised: October 2, 2026

Oregon’s October calendar is a coast train, a Columbia River gorge train with two dates still printed, a Wallowa Branch excursion out of Elgin, a short diesel ride in Portland, and two posted weekends on the Sumpter Valley. The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad lists Fall Splendor from Rockaway Beach to Wheeler from October 2 through November 15 and does not say which October days run. Mount Hood Railroad has printed Oktoberfest trips only for October 2 and October 3. The Eagle Cap Excursion Train still has five dates from Elgin. The Oregon Rail Heritage Center runs weekend trains through October 11 behind a diesel. The Willamette Shore Trolley’s 2026 season ended in September.

Southern Pacific 4-8-4 4449 southbound near Madras, Oregon, in 2012

Southern Pacific 4-8-4 #4449, with an auxiliary tender and an Amtrak consist, southbound near Madras, Oregon, on October 20, 2012. Drew Jacksich photo. The weekend train at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center this month is diesel BNSF 3613.

Tourism and excursion destinations only. Intercity travel: Amtrak Coast Starlight at Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Chemult, and Klamath Falls; Cascades at Eugene, Albany, Salem, Oregon City, and Portland; Empire Builder at Portland. The Cascades timetable opened for this revision is dated September 18, 2026. Confirm the stop before you connect.

Oregon Train Rides at a Glance

Railroad / attraction	Area	Notes	Site
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad	Rockaway Beach–Wheeler	Fall Splendor, Oct. 2–Nov. 15, about 2 hours 15 minutes. Days inside that range are not listed. Steam listed as McCloud River No. 25 through Nov. 1; diesel Nov. 6–15	oregoncoastscenic.org · 503-842-7972
Mount Hood Railroad	Hood River	Oktoberfest dates printed: Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, 11:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. About 2.5–3 hours. Locomotive not named	mthoodrr.com · 541-387-4000
Eagle Cap Excursion Train	Elgin	Oct. 3, 10, 14, 24, and 31. Elgin to Minam. Boxed meal. Locomotive not named	eaglecaptrainrides.com · 541-437-3652
Sumpter Valley Railroad	McEwen and Sumpter	Fall foliage window Oct. 16–18 at McEwen. Halloween Express window Oct. 31–Nov. 1 at Sumpter. Those clocks are the event cards, not a departure list	sumptervalleyrailroad.org
Oregon Rail Heritage Center	Portland	Weekend trains through Oct. 11 behind diesel BNSF 3613. Remaining dates Oct. 3, 4, 10, and 11. Museum stays open Thu.–Sun.	orhf.org · 503-233-1156
Willamette Shore Trolley	Lake Oswego and Portland	2026 season ended September 27. No October trips on the timetable	oregontrolley.com

No plated dinner train was selling October dates on the pages opened for this revision. Compiled October 2, 2026.

State Rail History (Brief)

Congress granted land in 1866 for a railroad from Portland toward California, and Oregon assigned the grant to Ben Holladay’s Oregon & California. Edward Kamholz’s account in the Oregon Encyclopedia has the Oregon & California at Roseburg in the fall of 1872. Henry Villard incorporated the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company on June 13, 1879. On September 15, 1883, the first scheduled Northern Pacific transcontinental passenger train reached Portland on Oregon Railway & Navigation track from Wallula. The same company reached Meacham on October 3, 1883, and Huntington on November 25, 1884. Kamholz dates through service to Omaha from December 1 and does not repeat the year in that clause. The Southern Pacific finished the Oregon–California connection in 1887. The Oregon Railway & Navigation Company went into bankruptcy on July 3, 1894.

The excursion trains use branches and short pieces of track, not that Portland main line. Oregon Coast Scenic runs between Rockaway Beach and Wheeler. Mount Hood Railroad leaves Hood River. Eagle Cap uses only the Elgin–Minam portion of the Joseph Branch, on the Wallowa Union Railroad, and does not run through to Joseph. Sumpter Valley boards at McEwen and at Sumpter. The heritage-center train is a short trip along the Springwater Corridor.

Tourist Railroads & Excursions

Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

Fall Splendor is posted from October 2 through November 15, 2026, between Rockaway Beach and Wheeler. The railroad describes the trip as about 2 hours 15 minutes: about 45 minutes each way and about 45 minutes in Wheeler. The office and the Garibaldi depot are at 306 American Avenue, Garibaldi, OR 97118. The fall train boards at Rockaway Beach. A nearby address printed for Rockaway Beach is 103 S First Street, and one for Wheeler is 580 Marine Drive. The phone is 503-842-7972.

The Fall Splendor page says power will vary from weekend to weekend. It then lists steam, McCloud River Railroad No. 25, for October 2 through November 1, and diesel for November 6 through 15. It does not list which October days actually run, and it does not fill in November 2 through 5. Buy the date the calendar still shows.

Oktoberfest is one night: October 3, 2026, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Rockaway Beach to Wheeler, ages 21 and over. The page sets it for No. 25 and says a diesel can be substituted. Food is optional and already made. It is an evening ride with something to eat. It is a separate ticket from a dinner train. Candy Cane Express is listed for November 27 through December 23, with tickets described as on sale soon, and the page calls that train steam. The coast Halloween page still shows October 25–26, 2025. This revision does not treat that as a 2026 trip.

Oregon Coast fall ride · Oregon fall trains · oregoncoastscenic.org

Mount Hood Railroad

The depot is 110 Railroad Avenue, Hood River. The phone on the harvest page is 541-387-4000. The fall train is described as running from September into October on selected Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, about 2.5 to 3 hours, with about 45 minutes each way and a layover at Pine Grove. The only dates printed on the page opened for this revision are Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3, each at 11:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. The homepage banner over those trips reads about two days only. Sandwiches can be pre-ordered. Outside alcohol is not allowed. The October pages do not name steam or diesel. A Polar Express is advertised with tickets on sale. No dated winter calendar was opened here, so this guide does not list November or January departures.

Mount Hood Polar Express · Harvest train

Eagle Cap Excursion Train

Friends of the Joseph Branch run this train from 300 Depot Street in Elgin. The phone is 541-437-3652. The 2026 trip page still shows five dates. October 3 and October 14 are the Fall Foliage Minam Bonus: leave Elgin at 10:00 a.m., back about 4:00 p.m., 52 miles round trip on the railroad’s own figure, with a boxed lunch. October 10 and October 24 are Fall Foliage Two Rivers: 10:00 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m., 38 miles, with a boxed meal. October 31 is Two Rivers Halloween on that same morning pattern, and the railroad invites costumes. Every one of those trips stays on the Elgin–Minam portion of the Wallowa Union Railroad. The train does not continue to Joseph. The pages do not name the locomotive. The meal is boxed. It is an excursion, and the dinner-train guide for the state is a different page.

2026 trip list · Oregon dinner trains

Sumpter Valley Railroad

The special-event cards that opened on October 2 are two windows, not a list of departures. Fall foliage at McEwen Depot runs from Friday, October 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., through Sunday, October 18, at 1:00 p.m. The address printed there is 12259 Huckleberry Loop, Baker City, OR 97814. The Halloween Express at Sumpter Depot runs from Saturday, October 31, at 11:00 a.m., through Sunday, November 1, at 12:30 p.m., at 211 W. Austin Street, Sumpter, OR 97877. The homepage did not load a regular timetable on this pass, so this guide does not say the railroad is dark before October 16. The event cards do not name the locomotive. The phone on the railroad’s homepage is 541-894-2268.

Oregon Halloween trains · Sumpter events

Oregon Rail Heritage Center

The center is at 2250 SE Water Avenue, Portland, OR 97214. The phone is 503-233-1156. Weekend trains run Saturdays and Sundays from May 23 through October 11, 2026, behind diesel BNSF 3613, leaving at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 p.m. along the Springwater Corridor by Oaks Park. The dates left inside that span are October 3, 4, 10, and 11. Steam on that ride page belongs to themed trips earlier in the year, from March into June. The photograph at the top of this page is Southern Pacific 4449 on the Oregon Trunk in 2012. It is not the engine on the October weekend train. The museum is open Thursday through Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., and stays open after the weekend trains stop. It closes New Year’s, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A Holiday Express is described as steam. No October dates for it were on the pages opened here.

Weekend trains · Visit the museum

Willamette Shore Trolley

The 2026 timetable is Saturdays and Sundays from May 30 through September 7, including Labor Day, and then September 12 through 27. No October trip is on that page. The Lake Oswego depot is printed as 311 North State Street. The Portland terminal is printed as 4333 S. Macadem Avenue, which is the spelling on the timetable. No phone was on the page. A 2026 Christmas Ships schedule was not opened for this revision.

Planning Tips

Coast: Rockaway Beach, not the Garibaldi office, for Fall Splendor. The range is October 2 through November 15. The day list is on the ticket page, not in the range itself. Oktoberfest is October 3 only.
Hood River: October 2 and October 3 are the dates the harvest page actually prints, at 11:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Ask before you plan a later weekday.
Elgin: October 3 and 14 are the longer Minam trip. October 10, 24, and 31 are the shorter Two Rivers trip. None of them reach Joseph.
Portland: October 3, 4, 10, and 11 for the heritage-center train, diesel BNSF 3613. The museum’s Thursday-through-Sunday hours continue after that.
Across the state: Coast Starlight, Cascades, or the Portland section of the Empire Builder. The Cascades sheet used here is the September 18, 2026 issue.

Seasonal & Related Reading

Oregon fall trains · Oregon Coast fall ride · Oregon Halloween trains
Oregon Christmas trains · Oregon Polar Express · Mount Hood Polar Express
Oregon dinner trains · National tourist trains · Fall foliage · Empire Builder · Amtrak
Neighbors: Washington · Idaho · California · Nevada

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

Facebook X Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Messenger