Caltrain Holiday Train on Track for Dec. 4 and 5 Weekend

Caltrain’s version of “The Polar Express” will usher in the magic of the holiday season for thousands of kids of all ages who come to Caltrain stations Dec. 4 and 5 to see what a real magic train looks like.

Santa’s elves – a.k.a. volunteers from Caltrain and the Golden Gate Railroad Museum – will spend Thanksgiving weekend putting the finishing touches on the “Trains for Tots Special,” a dazzlingly lit train which will make two trips down the Peninsula the following weekend.

Unlike the train in the animated Warner Brothers film, Caltrain’s “magic train” doesn’t pick up passengers or deliver toys. Instead, audiences get to enjoy a show during the train’s 20-minute station stops, joining a Salvation Army band and carolers in a sing-along. Meanwhile, Santa, Frosty and the gang get off the train to greet visitors and pose for photos.

And toys? That’s what Trains for Tots is really all about.

The train’s most important mission is to help generate toy donations for the Salvation Army and the United States Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots Program. Since its inception in 2001, Trains for Tots has gathered more than 13,500 toys for distribution during the holiday season.

People are encouraged to drop a new, unwrapped toy in the barrels when they come to see the holiday train.

Pulled by a Caltrain locomotive trimmed in candy-cane-colored lights, Santa’s diesel-powered sleigh will pull two old-fashioned passenger cars, a baggage car and a caboose, festooned with giant ornaments, toy soldiers, snowflakes and teddy bears.

A flatcar in the center of the train provides a rolling “stage” for the entertainers, most of whom return year after year for an unforgettable caroling venue.

San Mateo resident Ross Peterson, who services and installs bakery machinery, oversees the weekend rail car decorating, which began in mid-October. The result of all that work is a light show on wheels that prompts excited gasps as the glittering train comes into view at stations.

“When you get into the station and you see all those kids’ faces that are just in open-mouthed, wide-eyed amazement – and a lot of the adults too – that’s the picture that sticks in my mind,” Peterson said. “And it is impressive.”

Incidentally, in the old-fashioned train conductor’s uniform he wears every year, Peterson is the spitting image of “The Polar Express” character.

Thanks to community groups, there will be pre-arrival music at the San Bruno, San Mateo, Redwood City, California Avenue (Palo Alto) and Sunnyvale stations, and model railroad exhibits at the Menlo Park and Santa Clara stations. In Redwood City, there will also be a parade and fireworks before the train arrives.

The holiday train would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors, including the Golden Gate Railroad Museum, Amtrak, IKEA Co., TOMCAT USA, Parsons, Peterson Power Systems, Rail Journeys West, the Port of Redwood City, VBN Architects and radio station KFRC. Debbie Lyn’s Costumes of Sunnyvale is donating costumes.

Following is the schedule for the 2004 holiday train:

Saturday, Dec.4 Caltrain Station	Arrival	Departure
San Francisco Terminal at 4th & King streets	4:30 p.m.*	5:05 p.m.
Burlingame Caltrain Station California Drive and Burlingame Avenue	5:37 p.m.	5:57 p.m.
Redwood City Caltrain Station James Avenue and Franklin Street	6:15 p.m.	6:35 p.m.
Menlo Park Caltrain Station + Santa Cruz Avenue & Merrill Street	7:05 p.m.	7:25 p.m.
Santa Clara Caltrain Station + Railroad Avenue and Palm Drive	7:55 p.m.	8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 5 Caltrain Station	Arrival	Departure
San Francisco Terminal at 4th & King streets	4:30 p.m.*	5:05 p.m.
San Bruno Caltrain Station Huntington at Sylvan avenues	5:28 p.m.	5:48 p.m.
San Mateo Transit Center First and Main streets	6:01 p.m.	6:21 p.m.
California Avenue Caltrain Station Park Boulevard and California Avenue	7:11 p.m.	7:31 p.m.
Sunnyvale Caltrain Station Evelyn Avenue and S. Francis Street	7:43 p.m.	8:03 p.m.

The train is for display only. Trains may arrive up to five minutes ahead of schedule.
+   Model railroad exhibits will be open at Menlo Park from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and
    at Santa Clara from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
*    The holiday program in San Francisco begins at this time.

Caltrain is a tri-county partnership of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the San Mateo County Transit District and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Caltrain operates 86 weekday trains between San Francisco and San Jose, with commute-hour service to Gilroy. A total of 62 trains offer service on weekends.

11/23/04