Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad Additions for 2024: Rides for Halloween, Easter, St. Paddy's, Ice Cream

Published 2/02/24 at 6:45 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Garibaldi, Oregon) – There are a ton of intriguing changes coming up at the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad this year, including some new accessibility additions. However, the company just released its 2024 schedule (on social) and it's chock full of crazy cool new rides, including a pub train for Saint Paddy's Day, Halloween rides, an Ice Cream Train and lots of other rollicking ways to enjoy the rails.

Some new rides have details and are available for booking already but plenty of them don't, adding a layer of mystery to what's coming down the pike.

Returning are old faves like the Fourth of July Fireworks ride, the daily runs for summer and the spring scenery rides. All of it means chugging along as you're pulled by antique steam engines and sitting in vintage railcars, zipping you along nearly 20 miles of north Oregon coast scenery, much of it along the lush Nehalem Bay.

These guys have unleashed some new ways to have a riot on the rails this year.

Right around the corner is the Spring Break Excursion from either Rockaway Beach or Garibaldi. 30 minutes in either direction, there's a minimum 30-minute layover, but you can hang longer if you wish and catch a later trail back. These excursions start March 16 and go through April 7.

A truly novel idea for the coastline: the St Patrick's Pub Train hits the rails on March 16. Dive into gorgeous scenery in this over-21-only ride that will feature adult beverages of some sort. This unique pub is only open for two hours: that's the length of the ride for the round-trip run from Rockaway Beach around the Nehalem Bay. Every guest gets two drink tickets and a treat. Cost is $65 and it all starts at 5:30 p.m.

March 30 and 31 bring the Easter Eggstravaganza Train to the three little towns. You and the kiddies get to visit with the Easter Bunny, and each kidlet gets a giant egg packed with goodies. These runs are $22.

Not crazy cool enough for you yet? Perhaps you need another drinky-poo or some ice cream with your train ride.

Nighttime is the oft-ignored time on the Oregon coast, but the railroad folks are going to give you a taste of that whole new slant. The Moonlight Train rides are over 21 only and apparently will take place sometime after sunset. The railroad has not released these dates yet on their booking platform, so the exact times are not known at this moment. However, over 21 means there's some adult beverages offered with what will surely be an atmospheric ride. The dates they have released for the Moonlight Train are June 21, 28, July 16, 16 and August 16 and 23.

Ice cream with your train ride? Yes, please. Also not on the booking platform yet but now officially announced are the Ice Cream Train rides happening July 6, 13, August 2, 10 and 31. Yum.

If you needed more mystery about the 2024 schedule, the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad folks are hosting a Halloween Coast Train on October 25, 26 and 27. This could go a lot of different directions – all of which seem like a lot of fun – but no info is yet released.

There's also the Christmas Party Train that is over 21 only on December 20. This won't be the raucous office Christmas party where you can get away with photocopying your butt, but there is a wee bit of the spirits involved to spice up this scenic train ride.

Returning is the Christmas Tree Lighting ride on November 29, which is always popular every year. The famed Candy Cane Express is back, a cheery trip that includes the presence of Santa and plentiful treats. The train itself is always adorned in glittery lights – a roving masterpiece of holiday excitement.

Tickets can be purchased at oregoncoastscenic.org – along with more information - or the reservation line at (855) 562-7711.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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