New Jersey ‘Beer Tasting’ Train Rides

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   New Jersey Beer Tasting Train Rides
   

Published: May 9, 2026

By: Adam Burns

In a state better known (to outsiders, anyway) for highways and shore traffic, the Woodstown Central Railroad offers something refreshingly unhurried: a heritage rail experience rolling through the open farm country of Salem County, New Jersey, on a line whose roots reach back to the mid-19th century. The railroad’s excursions trade congestion for quiet trestles, wooded edges, and small-town scenery—then, on select dates, pair that scenery with one of South Jersey’s most enjoyable grown-up itineraries: the Brew to Brew Train, a rail-based brewery crawl that connects two local taprooms without anyone needing to drive.

What makes Woodstown Central stand out is how quickly it establishes a sense of place. This is not a “train ride in a park.” It’s a working piece of New Jersey railroad geography—an excursion division created to highlight the character of the historic Salem Branch and introduce riders to a part of the state that feels worlds away from the Turnpike.

A Quick Look At The Railroad

Woodstown Central Railroad operates as a passenger-excursion arm of SMS Rail Lines, bringing historic passenger equipment and classic motive power to a corridor that traces its lineage to Salem County’s first railroad line, dating to 1863. That “first railroad line” detail matters: it’s the reason the ride feels grounded in real transportation history rather than purely staged nostalgia.

Most trains depart from South Woodstown Station, located at 650 Alloway-Woodstown Road, Woodstown, NJ—a practical home base with easy access for visitors coming from Philadelphia and the surrounding region.

Power can vary by event and season, but a headline attraction has been the return of steam in the form of 0-6-0 No. 9, restored and certified for operation before debuting on Woodstown Central excursions. In addition, Woodstown Central has operated with classic diesel power—most notably former Reading FP7 locomotives that have drawn plenty of attention from railfans.

What the Brew to Brew Train Is All About

At its core, the Brew to Brew is exactly what it sounds like: a curated outing that uses the railroad as the “connector” between two South Jersey breweries. The concept is designed for adults who want something more memorable than a standard tasting-room hop—part scenic ride, part social event, part local-food-and-drink discovery.

Public event listings describe it as a four-hour experience that includes two brewery stops of about 90 minutes each, with the train ride itself serving as the relaxed, scenic transition between venues. In other words: it’s not a quick shuttle. It’s paced to let you actually settle in, order a flight, chat, and enjoy the atmosphere at each location.

The two featured breweries are typically:

• Swedesboro Brewing Co. (Swedesboro, NJ)
• Farmers & Bankers Brewing (Woodstown, NJ)

And the ride itself is frequently described as taking place aboard a historic 1930s-era passenger car, emphasizing the “heritage travel” vibe instead of a modern commuter aesthetic.

Itinerary

While exact times can vary by date, the rhythm of Brew to Brew is consistent and is part of what makes it work so well—especially for groups:

Check-in and boarding at South Woodstown Station

You’ll meet your party, get settled, and begin rolling out into Salem County’s rural landscape. Departures are generally organized as timed events; plan to arrive with buffer time for parking and boarding. (Woodstown Central’s general trip guidance notes that Brew-to-Brew logistics can differ from other excursions.)

Ride to the first brewery: Swedesboro Brewing Co.

The train heads toward Swedesboro, delivering you to your first stop for a ~90-minute visit. This is the “kickoff” tasting: many riders start with flights to sample broadly, then pivot to a pint of their favorite.

Back onboard for the run to Woodstown and Farmers & Bankers Brewing

After re-boarding, the train continues to the second stop—Farmers & Bankers Brewing—for another ~90-minute visit before returning to South Woodstown.

Return trip and wrap-up

The ride home is often the most social stretch—people are relaxed, comparing notes, and enjoying the scenery as the countryside slides by.

Some event descriptions cite an 11-mile round trip, while other listings describe a longer total mileage (likely reflecting different operating patterns or endpoints on specific dates). The key takeaway for visitors: it’s long enough to feel like a true outing, but not so long that it turns into an endurance ride.

Onboard Experience

Part of Brew to Brew’s appeal is that it’s not just “transportation between breweries.” The train is a venue, and the 1930s-era equipment does a lot of heavy lifting in the atmosphere department. The setting encourages conversation—friends across a table, small groups swapping recommendations, and couples treating it like a rolling date.

Even for riders who show up for the beer first, the rail experience tends to become the surprise highlight: the sound and motion, the low-speed views of farms and woods, and the sense of traveling through a living historic corridor rather than hopping in and out of a rideshare.

For railfans, it’s also a legitimate “you can hear and feel the railroad” trip—especially on days when historic power is in the spotlight.

Planning Your Trip

Plenty of tourist railroads run wine tastings or “rails and ales” evenings. Woodstown Central’s Brew to Brew feels different because it uses the railroad as a genuine connector between towns—a short, heritage-flavored version of what railroads have always done best: link communities.

It also showcases a side of New Jersey that visitors often miss. Salem County’s scenery—fields, tree lines, quiet crossings, and small-town edges—becomes part of the tasting experience. And by pairing local breweries with a historic rail setting, Brew to Brew turns a standard weekend plan into something that feels like a mini-vacation, without leaving the region.  To learn more about this excursion please click here to visit Woodstown Central’s website.