Curtis Kelley never aspired to be headless, but Chelatchie Prairie Railroad volunteers know a good evil thing when they see one.
Still, Kelley nearly refused to play the legendary Headless Horseman during a Halloween-season outing by the north Clark County tourist-excursion train line — because the provided costume was white, frilly and sort of silly, he said.
“You could tell there was a guy in there, looking out,” Kelley said. “He’s supposed to be menacing, not something to laugh at.”
Kelley accepted the ghoulish part anyway, and made improvements. Thirteen years later, he’s still terrifying willing victims of the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad’s Headless Horseman runs, which are set for later this month, Oct. 26 and 27. We’re alerting you now so you can make reservations. Headless Horseman outings are always so popular, the railroad has added a morning run to the two afternoon ones for a total of three per day.
If you prefer sweet scenery to scary characters, Chelatchie Prairie still has you covered. Just opt for this weekend’s Fall Leaves Special, highlighting north Clark County’s changing colors and gorgeous greenery. The only dark moment is when the train chugs through a 330-foot rock tunnel.
All trains depart from Yacolt Station, on aptly named North Railroad Avenue, and run 13 miles round trip down to Moulton Station at Yacolt Falls, where you can stretch your legs during a 20-minute pause. Each trip lasts approximately 90 minutes, total.
All remaining Chelatchie Prairie runs this year will be pulled by the railroad’s 1941 diesel locomotive engine, according to stationmaster Doug Auburg. The more historic steam engine is ready for its federally mandated 15 year inspection, he said, and is expected to get back in the game next year.
Lucky 13
Kelley, who lives in Centralia, got involved with the all-volunteer train line because his wife was friendly with the organizers. When the couple showed up to help stage a train robbery outing, Kelley was assigned the horse nobody else wanted to ride, he said.
“He was being a pain, and I hadn’t been on a horse in 20 years,” Kelley said. “I committed to one day and I survived it. I guess I got hooked.” The couple kept going back for more, and Kelley was eventually informed that — because he was simpatico with that headstrong horse — the Headless Horseman gig was his.
“That’s the horse we like to use because he’s a fast runner, and you get along with him,” he was told.
But Kelley did not get along with that silly getup. He started watching Headless Horseman movies and got inspired by “Sleepy Hollow,” a 1999 version starring Johnny Depp as a police detective and Christopher Walken as the dark-robed, decapitated rider.
“It’s got the best costumes,” Kelley said. “We took some elements from that and made a costume.”
The result looks less dandy than Dracula, complete with big black cape and shiny red lining. The costume has held up an impressive dozen years despite wear and tear, rain and blackberry brambles, Kelley said. We’ll have to see if its luck holds out as it heads into its 13th Halloween season.
“I’ve got a nice long flowing cape. The crowds love it,” Kelley said.
It sure does provoke some reactions during the meet-and-greet at Yacolt Falls, he added. “If I start getting lonely I’ll start to mingle. Of course I’m not a very good conversationalist because I have no head.”
So he lets his horse lead the way, he said, by coming up behind people and breathing on their necks.
“We get a lot of screams and flying coffee,” he said.
Legend
Who is this stylish, yet hatless, jockey? He’s an old German legend who got updated and Americanized by Washington Irving in an 1820 short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Its hapless star, jumpy schoolmaster Ichabod Crane (who’s not a detective and who resembles a scarecrow, not Johnny Depp) fails to win his beloved’s hand at a harvest party, slumps homeward through a spooky forest — and winds up chased into eternity by that headless, pumpkin-hurling rider. The next morning, all that’s left of Crane is his wandering horse and a shattered pumpkin.
Kelley promised that none of that will happen to you. Unless, of course, you deserve it.
“Kids always keep an eye on me,” he said. “As long as they behave, they have nothing to worry about.”
