Ride with the undead

Amtrak needs to step up its game.

While the Sacramento RiverTrain can’t get you much farther than Woodland, its selection of services makes for an experience outside the norm when it comes to one of America’s oldest forms of mass transit.

The RiverTrain coaches, representing a handful of eras in rail history, carry passengers over 16 miles of track, from West Sacramento to Woodland and back. The locomotive hosts a variety of offerings through the year, including brunch rides and sunset dining, but come October, it’s time for something more in step with the season: zombie killing and beer.

Not at the same time, of course. That would be reckless. But no one’s saying you can’t try both.

The Zombie Train bills itself as a two-hour ride and show during which passengers can relax and take in the sites of the undead, all while traveling on long wooden trestle bridges, past the Sacramento riverfront, and through miles of open valley farmland.

Need more excitement? Purchase a ticket upgrade in exchange for a laser rifle and membership in the Zombie Train Militia.

Described as “one part passenger train, one part zombie killing machine,” the show lasts 75 minutes, leaving plenty of time to unwind and enjoy a victorious return ride home among the survivors. Various times on select dates, through November 1; $35-$50; www.sacramentorivertrain.com.