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Caltrain Holiday Train Toy Drive Set For Dec. 2-3 Weekend
Santa and Mrs. Claus will enter the holiday season in glittering, festive style when they whistlestop down the San Francisco Peninsula in December aboard Caltrain’s sixth annual holiday train.
Decorated with more than 40,000 lights, the Caltrain Holiday Train will visit nine stations between San Francisco and Santa Clara over two nights, Dec. 2 and 3.
This free, family-oriented event draws thousands of visitors to train stations every year for a chance to sing along with live holiday music and meet the Clauses -- and all their North Pole “subordinates” -- everyone from Rudolph and Frosty down to the littlest elf.
More important, people who come to the event can get into the spirit of giving by bringing new unwrapped toys and books to drop into toy barrels at stations. Since the inception of the holiday train in 2001, more than 25,000 toys and books have been donated to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots Program and the Salvation Army, beneficiaries and partners in putting on the holiday train.
Not a passenger train, the Caltrain Holiday Train is a “show” train which stops at each station for about 20 minutes of entertainment. Aboard a flatcar used as a stage, a Salvation Army brass band performs both nights, joined on Saturday by the employee choir, the Cisco Singers, and the Peninsula Harmony Chorus on Sunday.
Beginning in October, a volunteer crew from the Golden Gate Railroad Museum works alongside Caltrain staff, Marines and community volunteers to decorate the train. A locomotive, two Caltrain passenger cars, two flatcars and a caboose will be transformed with giant snowmen, stockings, teddy bears and garland into an enchanting supersized “toy magnet.” The decorating is being done at the Port of Redwood City, which has graciously made space available for the train.
Community Support
The Caltrain Holiday Train would not be possible without support for expenses ranging from
purchasing decorations and wiring to costumes. Caltrain is grateful to these sponsors, which include:
Assistant Conductor-level sponsors:
Stationmaster-Level sponsors include
the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and joint-venture partners Shimmick Construction Co., Inc.; Obayashi Corp.; and Balfour Beatty Rail Services, Inc.
Media sponsors include:
Event Partners:
 Port of Redwood City,
In-Kind sponsors include:
Classic Graphics Body & Sign Shop of Newark has made an unusual and creative donation, turning a surplus shack into a gingerbread house, which will function as the holiday train’s sound technician’s booth. Amtrak, Caltrain’s operator, provides crews to operate the train. Every year, Peterson Power Systems of San Leandro donates the use of a generator to light up the decorations, and Creative Litho of Foster City has donated printing.
Entertainment is scheduled at all Peninsula stations before the train arrives.
Details and other information are available Caltrain at 1.800.660.4287.
2006 Caltrain Holiday Train Schedule:
Saturday, Dec.2
Caltrain Station |
Arrival |
San Francisco Terminal
at 4th & King streets |
4:30 p.m.* |
Burlingame Caltrain Station
California Drive and Burlingame Avenue |
5:35 p.m. |
Redwood City Caltrain Station
James Avenue and Franklin Street |
6:15 p.m. |
Menlo Park Caltrain Station
Santa Cruz Avenue & Merrill Street |
7:05 p.m. |
Santa Clara Caltrain Station
Railroad Avenue and Palm Drive |
8:06 p.m. |
Sunday, Dec. 3
Caltrain Station |
Arrival |
San Francisco Terminal
at 4th & King streets |
4:30 p.m.* |
San Bruno Caltrain Station
Huntington at Sylvan avenues |
5:28 p.m. |
San Mateo Transit Center
First and Main streets |
6:01 p.m. |
California Avenue Caltrain Station
Park Boulevard and California Avenue |
7:09 p.m. |
Mountain View Caltrain Station
W. Evelyn Avenue and Castro Street |
7:41 p.m. |
The train is for display only. Trains may arrive up to five minutes ahead of
schedule.
* The holiday program in San Francisco begins at this time.
11/08/06 - jrm
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