An 84-year-old former U.S. Army locomotive is scheduled to pull passengers through the farmland of Salem County this October, hauling riders 18 miles round trip from South Woodstown Station to a pumpkin-picking stop at Fenwick Grove. The Woodstown Central Railroad's Pumpkin Patch Flyer runs on October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25, with departures at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., and each excursion lasts about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The train departs from South Woodstown Station at 650 Alloway-Woodstown Road in Woodstown, where free parking is available, according to PhillyVoice. Tickets start at $35 and include one pumpkin per passenger at Fenwick Grove, though cider, doughnuts and other food items sold there cost extra. Riders are advised to arrive 20 to 30 minutes before departure, and the outlet notes that restrooms are available both at the station and onboard, while the excursion is not wheelchair accessible.
What Waits At Fenwick Grove
Once the train reaches Fenwick Grove, passengers get about 45 minutes to wander the property along Fenwick Creek, choose a pumpkin, and take part in fall-themed games and activities, per the same report. Tight track curvature farther southwest prevents longer passenger trains from continuing toward Salem, which is why Fenwick Grove — land owned by SMS Rail Lines — serves as the turning point for the route, according to a CU Maurice River account of the line's operations. Rolling stock on the Woodstown Central includes open-air, coach and table seating cars, the same document notes.
Passengers may bring light snacks and nonalcoholic drinks aboard, PhillyVoice reports. Historic Steam Locomotive No. 9 is scheduled to power the excursion when available, giving the ride a mechanical pedigree that stretches back more than eight decades.
A Steam Engine's Long Road Back To Service
No. 9 was originally built by Alco in 1942 for the U.S. Army, serving as Army No. 4023 at Fort Dix and Fort Eustis before later pulling its last Virginia Blue Ridge Railway steam train in 1963, according to Trains.com. The 0-6-0 switcher also spent time on the New Hope Railroad before SMS Rail Lines completed a 14-year restoration that returned it to operation in late 2023.
The locomotive's comeback hasn't been without hiccups. Trains Magazine reported that No. 9 was sidelined in April 2025 after an overheated axle journal during an excursion, with passenger runs relying on historic diesel power, including an ex-Reading Co. EMD FP7, during the repair period. The engine returned to public service on September 20, 2025, following extensive repairs.
Bringing Passenger Rail Back To Salem County
Scheduled passenger service along the Salem Branch line disappeared on December 30, 1950, ending decades of regular travel under the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, according to the Woodstown Central Railroad's own history. SMS Rail Lines revived passenger excursions on the line in November 2022, when the Woodstown Central Railroad division launched its first sold-out trips using Baldwin diesel switcher 304 and a restored 1937 Reading Company caboose, as reported by Railpace Newsmagazine.
Salem County owns the 18.6-mile southern section of the Salem Branch, and SMS Rail Lines operates it under contract for both freight and tourist traffic, moving roughly 16,000 cargo cars a year in addition to running the excursion trains, per the CU Maurice River account. That dual-use arrangement helps keep the century-and-a-half-old line financially viable even as it doubles as a heritage attraction.
More Fall Rides And A Farm-Focused Market
The Pumpkin Patch Flyer is only one piece of Woodstown Central's fall 2026 lineup, which also includes the Corn Maze Express, U-Pick & Maze Train, Salem Ghost Train, and the 32-mile Fall Foliage Rambler that spans the line's full length through Woodstown, Swedesboro and Salem, according to the railroad. On November 7, 2026, the nonprofit South Jersey Preservation is teaming up with the railroad to host the Autumn Market at Woodstown Central Railroad, spotlighting local farms and artisans; the organization says it supported more than 15 seasonal farmers markets across Salem County in 2026.
The excursion's agricultural tie-ins land against a backdrop of a growing state farming sector. New Jersey added 115 new farms between the last two federal counts, reaching 9,998 farms across 711,500 acres and generating nearly $1.5 billion in market value for agricultural products, according to the USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture as reported by NJ Spotlight News. Nationally, pumpkin production value hit $274 million in 2024, with fresh pumpkin availability climbing to 5.1 pounds per person, per USDA Economic Research Service data.
