The train travels, clickety clack, along the track at a soothing rhythm. The passing landscape includes swatches of the Cape’s unspoiled scenery such as cranberry bogs. woodlands, tranquil ponds and marshlands.
Riding the rails is a unique way to see and experience the Cape. It harkens back to a bygone era when railroad transportation was king.
The Cape Codder luncheon train is one of six main excursions offered by Cape Cod Central Railroad. Once on board the restored 1937 coach car you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a gentler time when life moved along at a less harried, leisurely pace. The well appointed dining car is tastefully furnished with white linen tablecloths and attractive swags on the windows.
The 42 mile trip from Hyannis to Sandwich affords views of parts of the Cape you can’t see from the roadways. The two-hour journey passes by Dennis Pond, One of the Cape,s 365 kettle ponds formed by the ancient glaciers. It crosses through the 5,000 acre great marsh, in Barnstable, which provides a view of the Sandy Neck dunes beyond. In sandwich the train cuts through another salt marshland twin ponds that sit on both sides the track. Along the way there are several spots where one can catch a glimpse of Cape Cod Bay. The last leg of the trip runs along the shore of the Cape Cod Canal, the waterway that was built in 1935 there one can catch a view of the Sagamore Bridge. The lunch is a highlight of the trip. Passengers dine on a three-course gourmet lunch prepared onboard by executive chef Rich Davis.
Along the journey one gets a peek at old stone walls, on organic farms where chickens feed in their pens, and sweeping backyards. Some friendly home owners wave as the train passes. By the time the train rolls into the station passengers have a special Cape Cod memory to take home.