Lewis County’s historic railroad system has long been a beloved tourist attraction, but riders can now experience the tracks from a different perspective: in a pedal-powered open-air rail car.
In partnership with the Centralia-Chehalis Railroad and Museum, Joy Rails is now offering scenic rail bike excursions on five miles of track along the Chehalis River.
“We are so excited about Joy Rails coming here to Chehalis,” Joy Rails Marketing Manager Macie Hefron said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, June 10, to celebrate the start of its first season in Chehalis. “ … It is such a fun family activity, allowing all ages and all abilities to ride out here on the railroad tracks. It’s just going to be a super fun adventure, it’s going to be beautiful this summer, and it’s a perfect way to get out there.”
Joy Rails, a rail bike company founded by Ben Mowatt, opened its first location in Coquille, Oregon, in the spring of 2024 and has been working with the Centralia-Chehalis Railroad and Museum over the last year to establish its second location in Chehalis.
“Ben approached the Centralia-Chehalis Railroad last year and said, ‘Hey, what if we do this?’” Centralia-Chehalis Railroad and Museum President Mary Kay Nelson recalled Tuesday. “We went, ‘Well, I don’t know’ — rail bikes and trains kind of don’t mix — but with some creativity, we have them.”
The Centralia-Chehalis Railroad and Museum have set up a schedule to ensure that passenger trains are not running at the same time as Joy Rails’ rail bike excursions, Nelson said.
“We get questions all the time, ‘Is it a safe activity?’ Of course it is safe,” Hefron said. “We work with the railroad … No trains on the track when we’re on it, so (it’s) just another way to utilize the beauty of railroads.”
“It’s a really complementary activity to have rail bikes and … trains on there,” Nelson said.
Joy Rails’ rail bikes each seat four riders, with one passenger in charge of a braking lever.
Bikes ride along the track in a line, with Joy Rails staff members at the front and the rear of the chain.
Joy Rails uses “a fleet of specially designed, four-wheel quadricycles that are easy to ride for all ages,” Joy Rails states on its website. “The quadricycles are made of aluminum and polyurethane wheels, making them excellent at gliding along the track, although it still takes some effort, about half of bicycling.”
Joy Rails offers railcars that are pedal-only as well as electric-assist railcars.
“You don’t need to really peddle, really — the track here is all very flat, and so anyone and everyone can ride,” Hefron said. “ We’ve had ages from infants to 96-year-olds. It’s just a great way to bring the family together … it’s a great team bonding activity, there’s just a lot of opportunity for different group sizes.”
With the route going beside the Chehalis River, Hefron said riders benefit from the forest shade and often get the chance to see wildlife — including cows in farms along the track.
“It’s just really, truly beautiful,” Hefron said.
The Chehalis route is 90 minutes roundtrip, with excursions departing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily through the summer.
For more information or to buy tickets for an excursion, visit joyrails.com.
