This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, and Jamestown's two Halloween events line up almost perfectly. Jamestown Halloween Town runs on Main Street from 4 to 6 p.m. Railtown 1897's Track-or-Treat opens at 5:30 and runs until 8:30. For half an hour, both events are running at once.
October 31 is also the last day of Railtown's 2026 excursion season, which began April 11. When the trick-or-treaters go home, the park switches to winter hours and gets ready for the holiday trains. If you live here, Halloween is the night Jamestown's calendar changes over, and one costume can carry a family from a morning train ride to a ghost-town ride after dark.
How the Night Runs, Hour by Hour
The day starts at Railtown with the last Harvest Haunt rides of the year, then moves to Main Street, then back to the park. In order:
- 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Harvest Haunt excursion trains leave Railtown. Halloween has no costume theme; the park's advice is to "get creative."
- 4 p.m. The Halloween Parade starts Halloween Town on Main Street.
- 4 to 6 p.m. Main Street has a trick-or-treat route, carnival games, horse carriage rides, free food, a hot chocolate bar and a dance party. Every activity is free.
- 5:30 p.m. Main Street's costume contest begins, and Railtown opens Track-or-Treat at the same time.
- 6 p.m. Halloween Town wraps up, and the first Skeleton Starlight train leaves Railtown.
- 7:30 p.m. The last Skeleton Starlight train leaves. The ride lasts about 45 minutes, so riders get back shortly before Track-or-Treat ends at 8:30.
That 5:30 overlap matters for families with costume contenders. If you want a spot in the Main Street contest, stay through it and head to Railtown afterward. Track-or-Treat keeps going for two and a half more hours.
Who Puts On Main Street's Half
Halloween Town is a free community event on Main Street. The Jamestown Promotion Club lists it among its events on its Visit Tuolumne member page. The myMotherLode event listing includes the 4 p.m. parade, the 5:30 contest with prizes for the "most creative, spooky, and fun costumes," and a hot chocolate bar with custom toppings. Visit Tuolumne lists it too, with the same October 31, 2026 date.
Every Main Street activity is free. At Railtown, each event has its own ticket price.
What the Railtown Events Cost
Railtown sells its Halloween night in layers, and the cheapest layer can come free with another ticket. Prices come from Railtown's fall announcement, published by myMotherLode on September 29, 2026.
| Event on Oct. 31 | Adult | Youth | Youngest riders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest Haunt daytime train | $23 | $18, ages 6–17 | Free, 5 and under |
| Skeleton Starlight evening train | $35 | $23, ages 3–17 | $1, 2 and under |
| Track-or-Treat, standalone | $5 | $3, ages 3–17 | $1, 2 and under |
Here's the math for two adults and two kids between 6 and 17. Skeleton Starlight costs $116, and Track-or-Treat is included with Halloween-night Skeleton Starlight tickets. Track-or-Treat on its own costs $16. A family planning to ride the train that night shouldn't buy separate Track-or-Treat admission. A family skipping the ride can spend the evening in the park for about the price of a dinner order of fries. Railtown members pay less for Skeleton Starlight: $28 for adults, $18 for youth and $1 for children 2 and under.
On the Skeleton Starlight ride, a "skeleton crew" takes passengers to a Western ghost town, where witches come aboard with a cauldron of candy. Tickets are sold through the Skeleton Starlight page at railtown1897.org. Railtown said the standalone Track-or-Treat ticket link would be posted at railtown1897.org, so check there before Saturday. Railtown is at 10501 Reservoir Rd. and has free parking in two onsite lots. Railtown also warns that which locomotive pulls a given train can change on short notice for weather, mechanical or staffing reasons.
This Weekend Is the Warm-Up
Halloween isn't the only themed weekend left. Harvest Haunt runs again Saturday and Sunday, October 24–25, with a Princesses & Pirates costume theme and the same 10:30, noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. departures. Skeleton Starlight also runs on the evening of October 24, the middle of its three Saturdays. A family that rides this weekend can save Halloween night for Main Street and Track-or-Treat.
One non-Halloween date falls tomorrow, Friday, October 23. Tuolumne County is holding a public meeting on the Jamestown Connectivity Project from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Jamestown Elementary School, 18299 5th Avenue. myMotherLode reported that the project would build about 4,200 feet of new sidewalk, a new bike path, curbs, gutters and ADA-accessible improvements. The streets affected are Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Seventh Street, Eighth Street, Donovan Street and Willow Street. If you walk kids along those streets on Halloween or any other evening, the meeting is the place to ask which blocks are included and how construction would affect them.
What Changes at Railtown After the 31st
Once Halloween is over, Railtown runs a different schedule. Starting November 1 the park keeps shorter winter hours, and the next train event is a ticketed holiday ride rather than the weekend excursions.
| Through Oct. 31 | From Nov. 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Park hours | 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | 10 a.m.–3 p.m., through March |
| Trains | Weekend excursions at 10:30, noon, 1:30, 3 | THE POLAR EXPRESS™, Nov. 27–Dec. 20 |
| Ride price | $23 adult, $18 youth | $85 per person, coach |
Railtown's general information page says the park is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. That makes Railtown easy to visit on a weekday all winter, though the park closes at 3 p.m. starting November 1, an hour and a half earlier than in October.
THE POLAR EXPRESS™ runs Fridays through Sundays from November 27 to December 20, 2026, with departures at 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m. Coach tickets are $85 per person, fees included. Public sales opened September 18, and the official Polar Express page says all purchases are final, with no refunds or exchanges. The ride lasts about an hour and includes hot chocolate and a small treat, a silver bell for every passenger and a visit with Santa at the roundhouse. Children under two can ride on an adult's lap without a ticket.
Compare that with the end of October. The same family of four that pays $82 for a Harvest Haunt ride pays $340 for Polar Express coach seats. Both trains run on the same Railtown tracks. The fall rides are cheap, open-schedule weekend outings, and the holiday ride is a single big ticketed event with no refunds.
Jamestown also has a holiday shopping date in that gap. The Wags & Whiskers Holiday Vendor Fair is Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Humane Society Event Room at 0040 Victoria Way, and the Visit Tuolumne listing says proceeds go to shelter animals.
The Locomotive That Stays Put
Through all the schedule changes, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is still one of only two authentic, still-operating short-line roundhouse complexes from the steam era in the country. It's also home to Sierra No. 3, the "Movie Star Locomotive," which has appeared in more than 100 film and television productions, including "High Noon," "Back to the Future III" and "Petticoat Junction." Railtown runs these events in partnership with the California State Railroad Museum Foundation. The roundhouse that hosts Track-or-Treat on Halloween night is where Santa will greet Polar Express riders about four weeks later.
Our team lives and works in these same foothill towns, and we keep track of Jamestown's calendar the way you do, from Main Street parades to the holiday trains. If Railtown's season change has you thinking about your own home's value, Kristin Frankhauser and the Mother Lode Real Estate Team can help you get your free instant home valuation.
