Christmas Trains.

[Murphy Siding]

     I could use a little cheering up.  Judging from some of the recent flair-ups on some threads, maybe we all could use some.

     Locally, BNSF and The Ellis & Eastern Railroad run a little Christmas special through town every year.  While I appreciate what they do, I wonder what railroads did in the past around Christmas time.

     Any of you *old-timers* want to tell us *youngsters* (I'm 45) about Christmas trains back in the "good old days"?

     I'm all ears.  Thank you.

[joseph2]

Back around 1960 the Erie had a Christmas train.A couple coaches packed with kids on a 30 mile trip out of Decatur Indiana.Plus a jolly old St. Nick.I also wonder how many other railroads ran them.  Cheers      Joe

[greyhounds]

A Rock Island E unit brought Santa into Peoria for the Christmas parade every year.

He left the "train" (he rode a baggage-express car behind the E), and got on his float at the station to bring up the end of the parade.

[zgardner18]

Well, I'm no old timer being 30 years old and all, but here in Los Angeles we have the Metrolink commuter service.  I haven't seen it yet but they have a Christmas train that runs on the weekend and stops at each station to have Santa pass out gifts to all the children.  My two year old son loves trains and I am hoping to catch that last possible station closeist to my town since I missed the closer ones not knowing about this train.  Here is the link:

http://www.metrolinktrains.com/ 

Also my buddy just got back from Durrango, Co where he was looking to buy land.  He said that he took the family on the Durrango, Silverton RR which has a wonderful Christmas train with the theme of the Polar Express.  Here it their website:

http://www.durangotrain.com/

I think that these trains and others that are Christmas Trains are a wonderful thing.  BNSF also has a small train that runs out to Monrovia, CA which take the Cancer Children for a ride out of the city of Hope Hospital.  That to me is top notch.

[tatans]

By the term "Christmas" trains , do you now mean "holiday" trains ( we must offend no one), As a child 400 years ago in a railway town I don't recall any sort of  "Christmas" trains, this seems to be a newer celebration, and a good one too, The only railway related holiday item I remember are midnight New Years Eve, when a LOT of steam locomotives blew their whistles and could be heard all over town and a long way in the country, I wonder if the still do it with diesels??? 

[al-in-chgo]

Do not despair, Murphy Siding.  Currently, or in  a few days, Canadian Pacific will have three such trains on the tracks:  Midwest U.S., Northeastern U.S. and Canada.  I believe the Midwestern one departed from Gurnee, waaay north of Chicago the evening of Saturday, December 9; and its first scheduled stop was at the new depot in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.  Then it heads off on CP-controlled tracks thru Wisconsin, Minnesota and up to the Canadian border.  

All three of the CP Christmas trains collect food for the poor, are strung up front-to-end with colored Christmas lights, and feature musical entertainers (usually country or folk) who ride aboard the train between stops / performances.  (Of course, there are numerous musical "crew changes" along such a long routing.)

Also, CSX cost-cutting has not eliminated the Santa Claus Train, a heritage that goes back to the Clinchfield RR and its path into and through many of the Cumberlands' remote "coal hollers."  The train originates in Kingsport, TN, I believe.  As in the Clinchfield days, it keeps up the tradition of giving (or tossing) toys and treats to the kids along the route.  It usually runs a weekend or two after Thanksgiving. 

 

[DennisHeld]

CN had a 'holiday train' on the old IC Saturday. It started in Gibson City, IL and went to Gilman, IL. I met it in Gibson City and was surprised by the lack of fanfare or railfans. It was pulled by IC101 F unit. It was a nice consist. But other than the kids lined up for Santa, there didn't seem to be any interest. There was no TV coverage. No newspaper. And I was one of two people with a camera. Taking shots of the train, that is. And hardly anyone driving by seemed to take notice of anything out of the ordinary.

[coborn35]

We dress our BUDD RDC1 up in so many lights, we needed a second generator. Its only a shuttle, but still, looks great!

[coborn35]

This just in, a friend of mine has a 30% chance of getting the CP Christmas Train off the extra board!