Excursion Train Rides Coming to Tell City

Decades have passed since the last passenger train pulled out of Tell City, Indiana.

But at 10 a.m. Saturday, the Ohio River Scenic Railway will begin running regular weekend excursions between Tell City and Troy.

“We’ve been working on this for about a year,” Logan Day, president of the railway, said Wednesday.

Most weekends, the train will run between Tell City and Troy — a trip of about an hour.

But on the last weekend of each month, it’ll run from Evanston, Indiana, to Lincoln City — a two-hour trip.

Day said the train will make the 22-mile run from Tell City to Lincoln City each weekend, eventually.

But a bridge on that line is being worked on now, he said.

The train, pulled by a 1950s-era locomotive from the Rock Island Railroad, will hold 226 passengers, Day said.

But coronavirus restrictions limit it to 113 now.

“For one generation that remembers train travel, this is nostalgia,” Day said. “For others, it’s a novel experience.”

Dave Kirk, destination management director for the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the train will be an asset to Owensboro.

“The brand-new Ohio River Scenic Railway experience is a wonderful opportunity to help boost the Owensboro tourism economy,” he said.

“Tell City is very close to Owensboro, so we envision people trying the new railway experience will likely make a weekend trip out of it and make the short drive down to Owensboro,” Kirk said. “We’ll be ready to welcome those leisure travelers with open arms, offering our authentic experiences of bluegrass, bourbon and barbecue.”

The railway is currently offering trips at 10 a.m. and noon on Saturdays and noon and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets are available at https://www.etix.com/ ticket/v/15881/ohio-river- scenic-railway

Day said prices range between $12 and $35.

“After July 4, we’ll be making three trips a day on weekends,” he said.

Trains leave from the Tell City Depot, 333 Seventh St.

Day said the railway plans to have on-board entertainment including music and historical narrations.

The railway’s Facebook page says its looking for musicians who can play country, bluegrass, classical, pop and/or rock.

Southern Indiana has another railway — the French Lick Scenic Railway — in French Lick

“We hope to work with them in the future,” Day said.

He said, “We plan to add dining service on the train after the pandemic is over.”

For more information, go to OhioRiverTrain.com

Keith Lawrence 270-691-7301 [email protected].