Christmas with the railroads
CP #9773, a GE AC4400CW, is decorated for the holidays along with the Christmas train that follows.
The Canadian Pacific decks out a Christmas train each holiday season. CP # 2246, an EMD GP20C-ECO, leads the annual Christmas train through Toronto. Hundreds of people lined the tracks near Runnymede and St. Clair to catch a glimpse of the dazzling train. Not only was the train a show in itself but onlookers were also treated to live music as the train passed through.
…And yet another example of the CP keeping the holidays special. This time its CP #9815, another GE AC4400CW, leading the way.
Here’s a better look at the CP Christmas Train, #9815 still in the lead.
And since the CP does such a great job with this tradition, we’ll show CP # 9824, still another GE AC4400CW, bringing in the holiday spirit.
While visiting the Canadians, here’s a steamer decorated for Christmas at the Kamloops station in BC, Canada. The Spirit of Kamloops, #2141, is a class M-3-d, 2-8-0 steam locomotive built by the Canadian Locomotive Co. in 1912 for the Canadian Northern Railway. She’s stopped at the old CN Station in Kamloops, waiting to board passengers for a holiday excursion. I was lucky enough to travel with a group on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff. We stopped at the Kamloop station and stayed overnight – fantastic trip!
And still staying where you’re likely to get a white Christmas, here’s the decorated heritage locomotive at Upper Canada Village, Morrisburg, Ontario. Grand Trunk locomotive #1008 is a 2-6-0 Mogul of the E10a class built in 1930 by the Canadian Locomotive Co. The locomotive along with a baggage car and coach stand on a section of the original Grand Trunk Railway track that was left in place at the time of the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s. Next to the track is the Aultsville Train Station which was constructed between 1866 and 1889 for the Grand Trunk Railway Company. Originally located in Aultsville, one of the villages that were lost as a result of the flooding during the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the station was donated to the St. Lawrence Parks Commission and relocated to its present location in the late 1950s.
…And a little better view of #1008.
Now…To start the holidays in the best possible manner, you have the local restored steamer bring in the village Christmas trees. Unfortunately, I have no information about old #90, and we can’t see enough of the side to even tell the class or RR.
Or better yet, cut your own Christmas tree and have #17 haul you and your tree back! The Northern Central Railway has the Tannenbaum Christmas Tree Train which takes you from New Freedom, PA to Seitzville, PA where you can buy or cut your Christmas tree at the Bricker’s Tree Farm. NCRY #12, better known as The York, is a 2013 built replica of an American, 4-4-0, steam loco. The plans for #17 came from the replicas of the Central Pacific Jupiter and UP #119 made for the reenactment of the Golden Spike Ceremony. While #17 sports a bonnet smoke stack complete with a spark arrester, she’s actually an oil-burner rather than a wood burner. The NCRY runs excursion and tourist trains year round. But it’s great to hear of operating replicas of these classic locos being built in the 21st century!
Christmas decorations on a steam train – It appears to be a 2-8-2 Mikado with a Vanderbilt tender, but I can’t make out a railroad or loco number. I’m guessing they have warm Christmases here because of the decorated palm tree!
The steam locomotive No. 12 formerly of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad is decorated and ready to run for Christmas excursions. This narrow gauge engine previously hauled freight and passengers from Johnson City, Tennessee to Boone, North Carolina. The ET&WNC, better known as the Tweetsie, ran from the late 19th century to 1950. The modern Tweetsie Railroad is tourist RR that runs a lot of excursion trains near where the original ET&WNC owned property. The Tweetsie RR employs old #12, a 4-6-0, for many of their Christmas trains.
Here’s a view of #12 pulling the holiday train. #12 is a 1917 built Baldwin which survived the sale of the ET&WNC equipment in 1952 after it dissolved. At one time, actor Gene Autry had buy rights for #12, but found out it would cost more to ship the loco to California than the actual purchase of the loco. Eventually it was sold as part of the startup equipment for the Tweetsie RR tourist line, and began pulling trains again in 1957. Several more Tweetsie Christmas pics follow with some words taken from their website.
“All aboard the Tweetsie Christmas train. Celebrate the joy of the season when Tweetsie Railroad transforms into a winter wonderland for Tweetsie Christmas. On Friday and Saturday evenings from Nov. 22 through Dec. 28, guests can experience countless holiday delights at North Carolina’s first theme park.
At Tweetsie Christmas, experience an evening full of holiday festivities for the whole family to enjoy. Santa Claus will arrive on the first train of the night and head to his workshop at the Tweetsie Pavilion, where children can share their Christmas wishes and have their photos taken with Old Saint Nick.
Engine No. 12, fondly known as “Tweetsie,” will take guests on a train ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains, along a route decorated with a spectacular display of twinkling lights. Some guests may even be lucky enough to experience a train ride through the snow, since the Boone and Blowing Rock area.”
Sometimes the modern RRs seem a bit impersonal. It’s nice to read about holiday spirit like this: (as the photo caption reads)
The names of towns like Marrowbone, KY or Kermit, VA might not necessarily bring to mind the term “Metropolitan Area,” but for citizens of those communities – the spirit of Christmas rings just as loudly and as bright as Macy’s in the Big Apple.
Since 1943, those areas up and down the CSX Railroad line have spent the Saturday before Thanksgiving getting geared up for the annual running of the annual Santa Train. Sponsored by CSX, Food City, the Kingsport (TN) Chamber, and Dignity U Wear, Santa Claus begins his morning around 5am in Shelby, KY – just to the south of Pikeville, and embarks on a 110-mile trip up and down the rail line. Toys, food, and even wrapping paper – it is a necessity, after all – are handed out to children along the route. It’s something that Jolly Ole Kris Kringle looks forward to every year – if just for the breathtaking scenery of Appalachia alone.
“You can’t tell me that God didn’t create a beautiful world when you ride through here,” said the man dressed in red, as the train passed through the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. But, he says, the day is a lot more than that. The looks on the faces of the thousands of children that he meets throughout the day is payment enough for his trek from the North Pole.
“You see the sparkle in their eyes when they first spot you and they spot the train. We’ve got these wonderful celebrities that come and help us each year, and they have such big smiles when they catch that first toy from me or them, or it could be a total complete stranger. It’s a great day for sure.”
…And then you need something almost “Norman Rockwell”ish – Smithville Railroad Christmas Tree is a photograph by Kristia Adams. (Sorry – the train between the two structures – well it’s not quite what we would deem a “TRAIN”!)
And since we’re on “nice attempt” photos, the Kansas City Southern has their version of what appears to be one of Thomas the Tank Engine’s friends. Unfortunately, it’s a decorated flatcar! But for the train as a whole – nice attempt!
The Irvine Park RR, Irvine Park, Orange Co., CA, is a 1/3 scale train that takes small passenger coaches around the park. Not quite what serious railfans consider railroading, but general support goes out to these types of miniature railroads that bring a RR experience to our youth (of all ages). These scale railroads (many out there) tend to do a great job with the holiday spirit!
Here’s the Alvin, TX version of the scale Christmas train – great light show!
I don’t have a caption for this, nor could I find any stories related to this pic. But, the Napa Valley Wine Train provides excursions through the wine country. Looks like they take care of the holidays!
Now this is a “real” Christmas train! Though there was no caption with this photo, this has got to be the Durango & Silverton #481 carrying it’s Christmas wreath. #481 is a 1925 built Baldwin 2-8-2 (narrow gauge), originally built for the D&RGW, a class K-36.
Trains tend to come to mind during the holiday season. I know this wasn’t one of my deeper research sets, but this one had to come out a couple days before Christmas.
Merry Christmas,
Kevin
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