All aboard for Labor Day – Labour Day north of the 49th parallel! Grab your fam and catch the last train to Summer on the first weekend of September – Saturday the 4th through Monday the 6th, 2021! L-Day weekend rail experiences vary but countryside excursions are the order of the day – from mountain peaks, to valley woodlands, to sunny shores. Other unique Labor Day Weekend train ride options range from dinner trains to battle reenactments to fireworks displays!
Beyond the itineraries, there’ll be plenty of vintage equipment to see and climb aboard. Old fashioned steam engines and diesel streamliners will vie for attention and coaches ranging from rustic to regal include nineteenth-century museum pieces and slick, deco observation cars. Open-air cars have gained new enthusiasts among pandemic-wary riders looking for plenty of fresh air. And coronavirus protocols will be in effect. So make sure to observe local and railway safety mandates to keep good times rolling when all the Labor Day Weekend train rides are passed.
Railways in the Mid Atlantic region have something for everybody. That’s particularly true in Pennsylvania where the Strausburg Rail Road – “America’s oldest shortline” – offers three days of trips through Amish Country. Across the state, everybody’s favorite tank engine joins in the fun at Thomas Town in Kennywood Park. Maryland’s rail fan favorite, the B&O Railroad Museum, is featuring historic “B&O and the Labor Movement” tours all weekend. Elsewhere New York’s Catskill Mountain Railroad plans a three-day weekend of scenic runs while Pennsylvania’s New Hope Railroad goes one better with three days of Wine & Tapas Trains.
Looking for a laid-back getaway this Labor Day Weekend? New England’s railways hold the ticket. Train ride options abound, each with its own special scenic and historic appeal. For a unique experience, break for rail-and-cruise combination excursions aboard Connecticut’s Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, near the mouth of the state’s namesake river. Take a ride on Maine’s award-winning Down East Railroad and you’re apt to spy bald eagles, moose, and even bears along the way. Massachusetts railways have the Commonwealth covered, from Berkshire Scenic Railway train rides to the Cape Flyer‘s final season runs between Boston and Cape Cod.
Among the peaks, hills, and valleys of the Appalachian Range, railroads across the Southern USA are expanding their schedules to include special Labor Day Monday runs. You can steam into history and high country wilderness at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park aboard West Virginia’s Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad — or catch a back country train ride aboard Chattanooga’s Tennessee Valley Railroad. North Carolina rail attractions have everyone covered from the state’s famous family-friendly Tweetsie Railroad and its Wild West theme park – to the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s all-adult First Class Moonshine Car.
Railways across the Midwest USA stand out with a Labor Day Weekend line-up of holiday train ride events. In Indiana, the French Lick Scenic Railway’s Wild West Holdup reenactment is a crowd-pleasing hit while the Whitewater Valley Railroad’s Labor Day Valley Flyer provides an easygoing car-free escape to the historic canal town of Metamora. Ohio’s Hocking Valley Scenic Railway adds a special Labor Day round-trip through the valley. The celebrations continue past dusk with extended evening hours at Chicagoland’s Illinois Railroad Museum and the Ohio Rail Experience‘s grand finale aboard the LM&M Railway Labor Day Sunday Fireworks Train.
Trains will be rolling at railroads across the Southwest USA over this year’s Labor Day Weekend. In the Lone Star State, Historic Jefferson Railway kicks off the weekend with a free ride for all active military personnel on Labor Day Saturday. On Sunday, the Texas State Railroad makes a morning steam runs along its scenic piney woods route. And the Grapevine Vintage Railroad follows its historic Cotton Belt Route to the Fort Worth Stockyards all weekend long. In Arizona, the Grand Canyon Railway needs no introduction. Its day trip to the South Rim makes the perfect holiday outing.
Railroads across the Western USA plan an awesome Labor Day Weekend lineup. In Colorado, the world’s highest cog railroad – the Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway – has reopened after a two year hiatus. Meanwhile, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad makes its rolling restaurant runs through Colorado’s Rockies. A pair of rail events await Nevada rail fans; the Virginia & Truckee Railroad‘s Battle Train rekindles Civil War excitement while the Nevada State Railroad Museum’s Motor Car Weekend features unique self-powered railcar rides. California’s Roaring Camp Railroads treats weekenders to a choice of Redwood Forest or Santa Cruz Beach excursions.
Scenic and historic train rides are Labour Day traditions at railways in Canada. Holiday weekend train rides are planned from the Pacific to the Great Lakes. In British Columbia, you can catch a ride behind an authentic century-old steam locomotive at the BC Forest Discovery Centre and the whole family can roll with Vancouver’s Stanley Park Railway where train rides are just part of the fun. The Alberta Prairie Railway serves up a Country Dinner Train ride on Labour Day Saturday and Sunday. In Ontario, the Port Stanley Terminal Rail is adding special Labour Day Monday runs to its regular weekend schedules.
Labor Day Train Ride schedules vary. While most railroads will host events on Labor Day, September 6th; some railroads have scheduled holiday train rides on one or more days between Friday, September 3rd and Monday, September 6th. Check with individual railroads for exact dates and times and remember that advance reservations are required or advisable in most instances. To find additional heritage railways planning Labor Day Weekend events check out the complete Train Traveling guide to Train Rides.
