Description

Prepare for a family-friendly fright night around the campfire listening to spooky tales, enjoying tasty treats, and learning about the short-line railroad that played an important part in the history of the Ligonier Valley.

The Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum will host its 7th Annual Creepy Caboose on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the restored Darlington train station near Idlewild and SoakZone amusement park.

Admission is FREE. Activities include tours of the museum’s historic bobber caboose, blacksmith demonstrations, face painting, ghost stories told around a campfire, music and more.

“Please join us again at the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum for a family fun-filled day featuring working blacksmiths and a scary storyteller sharing Halloween-themed stories around a blazing fire. Meet the Welcoming Witch in the museum’s bobber caboose for Halloween treats. There will be the ever-popular face painting and, yes, food trucks will be at the ready to serve up some tasty fare,” said Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association Board President David Byers.

Guests can enjoy Halloween-themed tunes and popular songs performed by the Silver Winds Flute Choir and purchase refreshments from the popular Creepy Caboose Food Truck Round-Up, featuring The Funnel Cake Men, J&J Smokehouse, and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck. The museum’s gift shop will also be open, offering a selection of railroad-related books, apparel, model train cars, and other souvenirs.

The Halloween-time event is themed around the red 1905 bobber caboose that the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association acquired in 2007 and subsequently restored and displayed on the museum grounds. The Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum is located at 3032 Idlewild Hill Lane, Ligonier, PA 15658.

For more information about Creepy Caboose, please contact Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association Board Secretary Jennifer Sopko at 412-496-4518.

ABOUT THE LIGONIER VALLEY RAIL ROAD ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM: The Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation that was organized in 2004 to preserve the legacy of the Ligonier Valley Rail Road, conserve its surviving vestiges, collect relics and memorabilia, and educate the public about the history of railroading in the Ligonier Valley. The Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum is located three miles west of Ligonier, Pennsylvania and is housed in an original Ligonier Valley Rail Road station that was built around 1896. The mission of the museum is to preserve the history of the Ligonier Valley Rail Road, which carried 9 million passengers and hauled 32 million tons of freight during its 75 years of operation.