The Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway, which provides tours on vintage trains running along the St. Croix River, is back on the tracks. Rides from Osceola to Marine on St. Croix and back are offered at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. each Saturday, and 11 a.m. and 2. p.m. on Sundays. Shorter rides north to Dresser are offered each Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The trains are operated by the nonprofit Minnesota Transportation Museum, and run on tracks owned by the Canadian National. Trains to Marine cross the 1887 Cedar Bend swing bridge. The route was once part of the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Saulte Ste. Marie Railway which connected the Twin Cities to valuable ports on the Great Lakes. It was part of a plan to cut Chicago out of the Midwest’s shipping routes to the ocean.
Beginning on June 18 and continuing every Saturday for the rest of the summer, the 11 a.m. trip to Marine will be the “Pizza Train,” and passengers can choose to have a personal pizza and drink while aboard.
Additionally, new Wine Tasting Trains are scheduled for several Saturday afternoons. Each trip will feature wine from a different St. Croix Valley winery paired with hors d’oeuvres.
All trains depart from the depot at 114 Depot Road, Osceola WI, 54020. Passengers should arrive 30 minutes prior to departure time.
Tickets for the Osceola to Marine ride are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and veterans, and $17 for children older than three. Family package discounts are also available — a family of four can go for $55 total. Tickets are available at trainride.org or (651) 228-0263.
Unable to access the ticket information via trainride.org.