By Elaine Rassel
Friday, December 15 we were on our way to see a “lighted holiday train”. I thought it was going through Maurice, IA but found out it was in Minnesota! It was a little strange that a train would be lit up in broad daylight but soon found that by the time we arrived at the destination, it would be getting dark.
We saw this spectacular train in a town called Elbow Lake, Minn. Elbow Lake has a population of 1,270 people. Information on this event was interesting. The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train only stops in town where CPKC operates. If you live in a community served by another railway, the Holiday Train will not be visiting your location.
A typical Holiday Train event is as follows: The train arrives and pulls to a safe stop in front of the crowd. (It arrives very fast and if you were fortunate to be at a crossing for a place to stand and wait for a long time to get a good view, you had it made!) The stage door lowers and the band opens with its first song, followed by a brief presentation with the local food bank officials and other dignitaries on stage. Once the presentation is done, the band resumes the show, singing a mix of traditional and modern holiday-themed songs and popular original songs. (See what you missed if you didn’t get to a crossing on time!) After the final song, the boxcar door closes and the train is on its way to the next stop. People were advised to keep a safe distance from the train at all times so the train can continue safely on its journey.
There are two trains that visit more than 190 communities in roughly four weeks. With thousands of miles to cover, they do their best to stop in as many locations along the CPKC network as possible each year.
Since 1999, the Holiday Train program has raised more than $22.5 million and more than 5 million pounds of food for North American food banks. All donations raised at a Holiday Train stop remain in that community.
Employees of CPKC are very proud of the Holiday Train program! They know that hunger is an issue that can, and does, impact their neighbors. Over the years, the program has gained a tremendous following and they are honored to continue this tradition for their family and yours.
The beautiful lights stay on as each train travels across the CPKC network. In areas where they travel on track that is not CPKC, the lights may be turned off. Each Holiday Train is about 1,000 feet long and consists of 14 rail cars decorated with LED lights and holiday designs.
The last 5 cars on the Holiday Express have the entire car frame outlined with moving lights—blue, green, and red that change to a different color. These cars are “blank” and have no lit up scenery like the other 9 cars have but only have the outline that is lit with flashing lights. Instead of scenery, each car has one word on it—Canadian; the next car has Pacific; then Railroad; then Holiday; and Express.
Bethany did get a picture of one of the Holiday Cars as it was moving. The colors of the traditions on these 10 cars are something to behold—Santa Claus, etc.