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After a two-year hiatus, the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum (CCRM) will resume weekend excursions this year, beginning April 6.
Through Sept. 29, trains will depart the Chehalis Train Depot at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
The scenic train ride will take passengers on a two-hour, 18-mile round trip excursion through the Chehalis River Valley, providing passengers with glimpses of scenic vistas, farmland, mountains and rivers.
“Relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of the way travel used to be,” the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad stated in a news release.
Special events throughout the year will include Mother’s Day and Father’s Day train rides, regular dinner and murder mystery dinners, escape room trains, the Wizard Express and Pumpkin Trains.
Tickets for the winter Polar Express will go on sale Sept. 1, with rides commencing Nov. 9.
For more information or to reserve tickets, visit SteamTrainRide.com or call 360-748-9593.
Online reservations are advised, but walk up seats are available for most train rides.
Email info@steamtrainride.com for information on customized experiences, including private charters, group tours, and school day field trips for groups up to 200, reservations of the historic 1920s rail car for groups up to 20.
The Chehalis Train Depot is located at 1101 SW Sylvenus St., across from the Veterans Memorial Museum.
CCRM halted all passenger service in March 2022, when the organization lost its liability insurance coverage.
The group did acquire premises-liability insurance about a month later, which has allowed for stationary events on trains at the Chehalis depot and for crews to make improvements to the property, including about a dozen miles of train tracks.
CCRM President Mary Kay Nelson previously told The Chronicle CCRM is waiting until a lawsuit stemming from a 2019 collision is resolved to reapply for the liability insurance coverage necessary to run its own excursion trains.
CCRM is able to resume excursions this year due to a multi-year agreement with Oregon-based Goose Railway LLC. As part of the agreement, Goose Lake assumes responsibility for running tourist excursion trains and for training and hiring crew members, while CCRM maintains the tracks, signals, rolling stock and engines.
CCRM also manages the events, schedule, tickets, gift shop and activities, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
