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5 great train rides

On rail excursions, scenery is only part of the fun.

Thanks to volunteers who love locomotives, excursion trains live on.

And these days, trains also are rolling entertainment venues, offering staged robberies, murder mysteries and beer tasting in addition to barbecue, pizza, brunch, box lunch, happy hour and holiday trains.

Of course, the scenery is great, too. Below are five of the best trains to ride.

North Shore Scenic Railroad, downtown Duluth: The 57-mile run to and from Two Harbors leaves Duluth at 10:30 a.m., arrives in Two Harbors (pictured) about 12:30 p.m. and returns to Duluth at 2:30 p.m., giving passengers time to see the ore docks and visit the 1892 lighthouse (See The Lighthouse Express). It runs Fridays-Saturdays in June, Fridays-Sundays from July through Oct. 19, $22 adults, $12 ages 3-13. Book early, especially for fall weekends.

The 2½-hour Pizza Train goes to the Sucker River, halfway to Two Harbors, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays through Labor Day; then 5:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays through Oct. 19. Cost is $18, $12 for children, including pizza and pop. Reservations are required.

The 1½-hour Lester River train goes out at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and adds a 10 a.m. run on Fridays-Sundays. From Labor Day to Oct. 19, they're 12:30 and 3 p.m. Fridays-Sundays, $12, $5.50 children.

Dinner trains go out at 6:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, $70; on July 14-17 and Aug. 18-21, there's a murder mystery with dinner, $80. Also check the schedule for special excursions, 800-423-1273, www.northshorescenicrailroad.org.

Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad, Spooner, Wis.: Around the scenic Namekagon River in western Wisconsin, this railroad is a rolling entertainment venue. There are pizza, barbecue, brunch, dinner and happy hour train, plus excursions from Spooner to Veazie Springs and Springbrook. During the Spooner rodeo, July 10-12, trips to Trego Junction include a train robbery or dinner with outlaws.

The 30-mile round-trip excursion to Springbrook is $18, $13 children 3-12, and the 1½-hour round-trip to Veazie Springs is $14 and $11. Pizza trains leave at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturdays at noon, $21 and $15, $72 for families with up to five children. Happy-hour trains go out at 6 p.m. Fridays, $30, and barbecue trains are Wednesday at 5 p.m., $30 and $22. Brunch trains are noon Sunday, $30 and $22.

There are holiday trains, too, including the very popular pumpkin trains in October. Check the schedule at 715-635-3200, www.spoonertrainride.com.

Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway, Osceola, Wis.: From the little depot in Osceola, volunteers of the Minnesota Transportation Museum run excursions to Dresser, Wis., and across the river to Marine on St. Croix. On Saturdays and Sundays through October, 1½-hour trips go to Marine on St. Croix at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. , $15, $7 for children 5-15, and 45-minute trips leave at 1 p.m. for the newly renovated 1889 depot in Dresser, $10 and $5.

On July 12 and 26, Aug. 9 and 23 and Sept. 6 and 20, 11 a.m. trains serve box lunch, $25-$17, and 5 p.m. trains serve pizza, $27-$15, and dinner, $49-$39. For other special trains, check the schedule at 715-755-3570. Tickets can be purchased at www.trainride.org.

Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad, West Duluth: This line follows a scenic route that hugs the St. Louis River estuary, from cattail marshes full of birds to the site of a Superfund cleanup. Volunteers narrate the 90-minute, 12-mile round-trip tours at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on weekends from early June through early October. It leaves from a parking lot behind the Little Store, across from the Lake Superior Zoo at Grand Avenue and 71st Avenue West. Fares are $9.25, $6.25 for children. 218-624-7549, www.lsmmr.org.

Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, Wis.: Eight miles west of Baraboo, this railroad offers seven-mile, 50-minute trips through the Baraboo Hills at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. daily through Labor Day, then weekends through the third weekend of October,

Fare $13 for adults, $11 for youths 13-18 and $7 for children 3-12. In October, there are dinner and fall-color trains. A Santa Express goes out the weekend after Thanksgiving and a snow train on President's Day weekend. Steam locomotives usually pull the cars but are being upgraded.

The museum and track were flooded in mid-June and are closed for clean-up. For updates, call 800-930-1385, www.midcontinent.org.

Last updated on October 19, 2008