Tis the season for trains
Checking the list twice for holiday specials
Tis the season for winter holiday trains! My advice for holiday planners hoping to have a wonderful winter train ride is to follow Santa’s example: make your list and check it twice. However, if you get a lump of coal, consider that a bonus and save it as a souvenir (I prefer anthracite!).
I have a different perspective on winter trains than typical travelers because in addition to my love of railroads and rail-travel, I help plan the holiday schedules and develop advertising to fill the trains in my day job as Conway Scenic Railroad’s marketing manager. For excursion railroads, the winter holidays have become one of the most important growth markets — not just in terms of immediate revenue and the ability to make the most of a railroad’s limited assets, but as a way to introduce the next generation to train travel. What better time to allow youngsters to experience the thrill and adventure of a train ride than during winter holidays, when brightly-colored lights and upbeat music add to the mystique of boarding a train and heading to unknown places?
Do your research
The growing popularity of holiday trains has resulted in more railroads staying open in November and December and lots of different interpretations of winter train rides. As a result, to avoid disappointment it helps to thoroughly investigate the railroad you plan on visiting. Book your tickets early since popular trains tend to sell out. Some railroads alter their arrangements in the winter, so be sure to find out where and when holiday trains board, and what time you are expected to arrive (many railroads suggest being at the station 30-45 minutes before departure). Are your seats reserved and assigned or does the railroad have open seating? Careful study of the holiday offerings on the railroad’s website are a good place to start. Check the lists of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and pay close attention to the details. Dress appropriately; in colder climates trains are heated, but open platforms can be blustery and raw. Speaking of which, if you have a cold, please don’t gift your illness to Santa, his elves, or your fellow passengers.
This holiday season, small railroads across the country offer a variety of winter holiday excursions. There are countless variations on the old fashioned winter train ride, some by day, others in the hours of darkness. For example, the Conway Scenic has three distinct experiences. For young travelers, weekends feature Santa’s Holiday Expresses during the day, while in the evenings the railroad hosts Journey to North Pole charters for a thrid party operator. For the railroad’s more adventurous train riders who are interested in a longer trip that isn’t tied to the holidays, the four-hour Winter Mountaineer offers a streamlined train trip over Crawford Notch, and this runs a weekend trip from Thanksgiving through February.
A few examples
Pennsylvania’s East Broad Top has one of the more unusual interpretations this season with its ‘Christmas in Coal Country’ excursions from its Orbisonia station. The promotion is intriguing: “life in coal country was challenging, but Christmas in coal country was truly special.” This is a great opportunity to experience EBT’s narrow gauge line in the winter and at night. Trains run on select dates at 4, 5:30, and 7pm.
Wisconsin’s Mid-Continent Railway Museum offers four dates in November and December for its 7-mile 55-minute Santa Express that has been popular with visitors for 31 years. This year Mid-Continent also has something new: on the evening of December 6th Santa takes time off and the railroad runs its Holiday Night Cap for the 21 and over audience who may ‘prefer a little something extra mixed in with their hot chocolate.’
The most popular tourist railroads will offer intensive holiday programs. Connecticut’s Valley Railroad, where I experienced my first Christmas train fifty years ago, runs its North Pole Express, advertised on its website as ‘a magical nighttime journey to the North Pole’ on select dates between November 13 and December 23. Trains board at their Essex Station, with departures every half hour at peak time from 2 to 8pm. Two months before the first train, many advertised excursions were already sold out. Perhaps most popular of all are high-energy interpretations of Chris Van Allsburg’s Polar Express, the storybook and subsequent major motion picture that has imbedded in a fantasy the role of Christmas train travel in our culture. You will find many places to board the Polar Express from Cape Cod Central’s station at Buzzards Bay, Mass., to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Many Polar Express operators encourage audience participation including wearing your pajamas on the train. But please wear train-appropriate footwear, because unlike in the film, Polar Express trains are real. Enjoy a holiday season with a train ride that will stay with you long after the presents have been opened and the snow has melted away!
