Year-and-a-half-old Beckham Miller-Lopez and his mother Yamile Lopez wave to the passing train Saturday at the Nevada Railroad Museum for the Harvest Train festival. Credit: Photos and video by Jeff Munson

Legendary writer Mark Twain wrote about the Wild West frontier by traveling through by train. This weekend, the Nevada Railroad Museum in Carson City is celebrating not only the famed writer as part of Mark Twain Days but its annual Harvest Train Festival — two days of trains, pumpkins, food and fun.

With a pumpkin patch, booths, refreshments and all-day train rides, there’s plenty to do and see for railroad buffs and families at the railroad museum this weekend, said Chenay Pointer, Curator of Education for the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City.

“We encourage everyone to come ride our trains. We have two steam locomotives — Virginia & Truckee No. 25 as well as our Glenbrook trains running both days around the clock. If you come, you’ll get in line and you’ll have a ride real soon,” she said.

There’s a pumpkin patch in the park where families can purchase pumpkins. There’s also a a band lined up to play Saturday and on both days there’s a Family Steam project where people can make spooky trains out of recycled materials.

There’s also food vendors selling hot dogs and peanuts as well as Kona Ice with their snow cone and shaved ice truck. On Sunday there will be Scoups ice cream.

Also at the festival is the Carson City Rail Aware Auxiliary Team, which has a volunteer booth where families can learn about railroad safety. And also the Jacobson Interpretive Center is open to everyone.

The pumpkin patch and peanut sale is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

People can purchase an all-inclusive wristband where they are allowed to ride the train as many times as they want and that gives them access to Jacobson Interpretive Center and all the other programs and crafts lined up for the festival.

The festival continues Saturday and Sunday, with trains and park activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the museum open from 9 a.m. until 4:30 both days.

Nevada State Railroad Museum, 2180 S Carson St. Go here for information about upcoming events, the annual Santa Train in December and more at the railroad museum.