While many, many ASLRRA members are active in their communities throughout the year, the winter holiday season often turbocharges these efforts. Railroads and supplier companies plan a variety of events benefiting those in their communities, from toy drives to holiday excursions, and even giving Santa himself a ride to local celebrations.
Toys for Tots Collections
Sometimes family members bring children toy trains as gifts, while other times it’s the train itself that brings the toys. ASLRRA members nationwide support the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation by helping collect presents and monetary donations throughout the holiday season.
Florida East Coast Railway and Lake State Railway held their own events called, respectively, the Christmas Train and the Santa Train. Both railroads organized stops along a chosen route where families could come to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and make donations to Toys for Tots. Other railroads like Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company and Madison Railroad set up toy drop off points for the foundation.
Madison Railroad set up their collection at the City of North Vernon, Indiana’s annual Christmas in the City event. Team members decorated a caboose, which was displayed downtown, and those who stopped by could walk through and enjoy hot chocolate and coffee.
Five ASLRRA members participated in Operation Toy Train, a series of toy collection trains that this year reached 48 cities and towns in five states. The Middletown & New Jersey Railroad, New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway, Dover and Rockaway River Railroad, Sierra Northern Railway and Naugatuck Railroad each operated a train that stopped along their respective lines to collect toys for Toys for Tots. Collections on the New York, Susquehanna and Western line on Dec. 14 set a single day record for Operation Toy Train, with the railroad making 11 stops and picking up 21,749 toys.
And in Pennsylvania, the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, North Shore Railroad (NSHR) and Union County Industrial Railroad (UCIR) hosted members of the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA) for their Toys for Tots drives. Each year, NARCOA members decorate their railcars and caravan on host lines to collect donations at locations throughout Pennsylvania.
According to North Shore Railroad Company & Affiliates’ Loni Martz Briner, this is the 21st year NSHR has hosted NARCOA drivers and the sixth year for UCIR. Over the past five years, the group has collected more than 18,500 toys and $7,000 for the Susquehanna Valley, Pennsylvania branch of the Toys for Tots Foundation. Also, NSHR has been working to mentor members of NARCOA, enabling them to run similar toy drives on other Pennsylvania railroads.
Supporting Community Events
ASLRRA members also spread holiday cheer in other ways, such as making donations to benefit different local organizations, and volunteering time and resources to participate in different community events, which often involved helping one of the season’s most recognizable figures arrive at local celebrations in style.
Supplier member Holland, L.P. collected toys for Alicia’s House, a food pantry in Illinois, and team members at the Watertown, New York office of fellow supplier member Bowers CPAs and Advisors bought and wrapped wish list items for 17 local seniors.
As part of ASLRRA member parent company OmniTRAX’s Good Neighbor Donation Campaign, Panhandle Northern Railroad donated $10,000 to the Hutchinson County United Way in Borger, Texas, which will help support the organization’s 16 non-profit partner agencies. At the Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon, where OmniTRAX took over rail operations this year, the company donated $2,500 to the United Way of Posey County – Indiana to support their community work, and in Stockton, California, the Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad donated $5,000 to the Community Outreach Coalition. OmniTRAX’s Peru Industrial Railroad (PIR) also made a $2,500 donation to the Illinois Valley Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) for their work providing shelter, meals, and services to those in need.
Out in Windsor, Colorado, OmniTRAX’s Great Western Railway brought Santa to the opening of the Windsor Wonderland holiday event on Dec. 7, where he participated in the town’s annual tree lighting ceremony and posed for photos with event attendees. A week earlier, Santa, Mrs. Claus and Santa’s top elf arrived at a Christmas celebration in Midway, Kentucky on one of ASLRRA member parent company R. J. Corman Railroad Group’s red engines.
In Indiana, Santa made stops in multiple towns on the Indiana Rail Road’s Santa Train. He and many of his friends, including Rudolph and the Gingerbread Man, got off at each stop to greet those who had gathered to see him. Meanwhile, in Pittsburg, Kansas, Santa, Mrs. Claus and an elf took an hour-long ride with nearly 500 local first grade students on member parent company Watco’s holiday train.
Santa also made it to Winterfest in Gonzales, Texas on Texas, Gonzales and Northern Railway’s (TXGN) Christmas Train. Two TXGN mechanics, father and son Danny and DJ Zaro, decked out Santa’s locomotive with colorful lights and inflatable decorations and capped it with a chimney and snow machine.
“We loved working together as a team to make this year’s display even better than last year,” said DJ Zaro. “Seeing the kids and families enjoy it so much was the ultimate reward.”
Before Santa even climbed aboard the TXGN Christmas Train, team members were busy preparing the railroad depot for his arrival. TXGN set up Santa’s Mailbox in the weeks prior to Winterfest for people to send letters to the North Pole, and every letter with a return address will receive a special reply from Santa, with help from TXGN elves.
Nearly 500 people were on hand to welcome Santa at Winterfest. After his arrival, he visited with families and everyone enjoyed hot chocolate, holiday music and gifts provided by TXGN. All children in attendance had a chance to win a ride with Santa on the Gonzales Christmas trolley from the depot to Independence Square for the Winterfest Christmas tree lighting.
“There is a magical connection between Christmas and railroads for children,” said TNW CEO Paul Treangen. “It was with great enthusiasm that our team worked to make Santa’s arrival a truly special event. TXGN is proud to be part of the community!”
