The mission of the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation is to raise and manage funds in support of rail operations in El Dorado County and assist the county carryout the mission of county’s living history rail program. The foundation supports the rail program through the acquisition and custody of rail assets that do not have a historic connection to the county and promotes the preservation of historic county rail assets. The foundation supports the interpretation of county railroad history through the living history rail program. And it encourages volunteerism within the county rail program and recognizes rail volunteers.
Description
Ride the full size excursion train in the Town of El Dorado.
El Dorado Western Railroad
4650 Oriental Dr.
El Dorado, CA 95623
NOTE CONCERNING TICKETS: These tickets are being offered for the Caboose only. The Excursion Car is completely booked. Ten additional Caboose tickets on each train have been added to the queue. While visibility from the Caboose is limited, this offer gives you the opportunity to enjoy an pleasant train ride and to enjoy the pumpkin patch.
Please note that the railroad will not be selling tickets on the day of each train ride. There will not be any ability to honor day-of ticket sales.
The El Dorado Western Railroad is hosting the Second Annual Pumpkin Patch Train on October 3, 10 & 17. You will board the train at the El Dorado Depot, enjoy a ride on the historic Southern Pacific Caboose to Missouri Flat Rd. There the train stops, and you hop off to select your pumpkin. (You can buy pumpkins for $6 each at checkout.) After re-boarding the train, you return with pumpkins and smiles to El Dorado.
Enjoy your train ride! You are riding on rails laid down over 150 years ago. The rail line was envisioned as the route over Sierra Nevada Range for the transcontinental railroad. However, plans fell short when the Donner Route was selected. Yet, progress continued. Tracks reached Latrobe in 1864 and Shingle Springs in 1865. With much fanfare, the route was extended to Placerville in the spring of 1888. For next 100 years you could board the train in Placerville for any rail destination in the United States. The railroad served El Dorado County by shipping lumber, pears and minerals to distant markets. And it brought goods and passengers into the county. This line truly was the lifeblood of the county before the widespread use of automobiles and trucks.
Trains depart:
10:00 AM
12:00 PM
2:00 PM
Tickets are available:
$12 for adults & children 9 & up
$3 for children 4 to 8
Free for children 3 & under
Pumpkin for $6
A processing fee is added to each paid ticket purchased online. An adult (age 18 and up) must accompany each child ticket holder. Unaccompanied child and toddler tickets will be refunded.
Call (530) 663-3581 for questions and to confirm departure times. The telephone is only monitored on scheduled train ride days from 9 am to 2 pm. Please remember that there are a limited number of seats available for each train; so, make your reservation early. Riders 17 years old and younger must be accompanied by a responsible adult. No animals are allowed on board. The round trip (50 to 60 minutes) takes you east from the depot on the historic Southern Pacific Placerville Branch rail line. The train stops short of Missouri Flat Road, before returning to the depot.
We'll see you on the train!
Date & Time
Oct 3 - 17, 2026
Venue Details
El Dorado Depot
4650 Oriental StreetEl Dorado, California 95623
