Maine Scenic Railroad Adventures
Quick Details
Ages: All ages
Duration: 90 minutes
Days: Saturdays & Sundays
Departure times: See schedule for departure days & time
Ticket: Please pick up your prepaid tickets at our ticket booth prior to boarding the train.
All Aboard!
Your ride on the Downeast Scenic is an adventure that takes you back to a time of elegant travel in lovingly restored one-hundred year old passenger coaches. For roughly 90 minutes you leisurely roll along 12 miles of well maintained tracks that were a huge part of Maine railroad history.
From lush forests where sunlight sparkles through the treetops, to open marshland, and across the recently restored Union River Bridge, this section of the Calais Branch of the former Maine Central Railroad provides views not seen since the wealthy “rusticators” traveled from the cities to their “summer cottages” on board the famous Bar Harbor Express.
You begin at the Hancock Station boarding platform that is located just outside Ellsworth, Maine on Washington Junction Road in Hancock. Here is where you pick up or purchase your tickets and souvenirs, take pictures of the train, and check out our beautifully refurbished passenger coaches.
Your train trip will be professionally narrated by one of our volunteer members. Points of interest, such as a sawmill, wild blueberry facilities, nesting ospreys, beaver lodges, the old Ellsworth Train Station, as well as historical information are highlighted as you ride along.
You travel over bridges, roll past fields and houses, all the time hearing the “clickety-clack” rhythm of the wheels on the rails, and delight in the sound of the horn at the crossings. Watch and take photos as the locomotive uncouples from the train and passes by on a siding heading to the rear of the train. Once it has recoupled, you travel across the Union River, reverse directions, and begin your return trip to the boarding platform in Hancock.
Following your train ride, check with your conductor to see if railroad volunteers are available for a quick tour of the railyard or a visit to the former Maine Central #470 Steam Locomotive Restoration Project.
As you leave the train, don’t forget to take a “selfie” standing beside our powerful locomotive with the Conductor or Engineer!
REMINDERS
– The Downeast Scenic Railroad operates on Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day weekend through the weekend after Columbus Day. Check the schedule for dates, number of trips per day, times, holidays, and specials.
– Water and light snacks are available for purchase on board the train. You are welcome to bring your own picnic lunch. Picnic table seating is available on our canopy covered open-air car and in our combination baggage/passenger car.
– Advance ticket purchase and confirmation of schedules are recommended.
– All fares listed are for round-trip transportation.
NOTICE: Days of operation, schedules, fares, locomotives, and cars are subject to change without notice.
