Santa To Ride In Style On Holiday Train

Santa Claus and his entourage will be traveling in style when they whistlestop down the San Francisco Peninsula aboard Caltrain’s seventh annual Holiday Train, Dec. 8 and 9.

The jolly red elf will have his choice of two private Pullman cars, which were loaned to Caltrain for the annual toy drive. The cars will be used as dressing rooms and accommodations for the more than 50 costumed characters and entertainers who accompany Santa.

The festivities will kick off with a festive train-lighting ceremony at the San Francisco Caltrain Station at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7. The Holiday Train will visit nine stations between San Francisco and Santa Clara over the next two nights, Dec. 8 and 9, with a 20-minute show at each stop.

The event attracts thousands of visitors to the train stations for a chance to sing along with live holiday music and meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. In the spirit of the season, participants are encouraged to bring new unwrapped toys and books to donate to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots program and the Salvation Army.

The Holiday Train is pulled by a Caltrain locomotive, followed by the Yosemite Falls, a private Pullman car; a Caltrain gallery car; two 55-foot flat cars, which carry a stage and sound equipment. The Virginia City, the second private Pullman car on the train, completes the train. The entire train is festooned in more than 40,000 colored lights and holiday decorations.

The Yosemite Falls is a sleeper/lounge car decorated in a style reminiscent of 1950s luxury train travel. Each room on the car is decorated in a different theme; some of the bedrooms are large enough to accommodate queen size beds and private showers.

The Virginia City, originally built in 1928 as a private car for the rich and famous, is well-known by train buffs as the most opulent car in existence. In 1955, it was purchased by the eccentric journalist Lucius Beebe, who hired a Hollywood set designer to decorate the car with more than a half-million dollars in antiques. The outside viewing platform is the perfect spot for Santa to wave farewell to his adoring fans.

The cars, which are available for private charter, have been generously donated to the Caltrain Holiday Train by Sierra Pacific Rail Inc. and the Virginia City Rail Corporation. This year’s Holiday Train sponsors include Genentech, Inc.; Linear Technology Corp.; the Palo Alto Medical Foundation; Parsons; PB; and joint-venture partners Shimmick Construction Company Inc. and Balfour Beatty Rail Services, Inc.

Comcast, the Examiner and Radio Disney are the event’s media sponsors, and in-kind donations are being provided by Peterson Power Systems of San Leandro; and Amtrak, Caltrain’s operator.

The Holiday Train is for display only; passengers are not allowed to ride on the train.

For a complete holiday train schedule, call 1.800.660.4287 (TTY 650.508.6448).

11/30/07 -crd
Media Contact: Christine Dunn, 650.508.7927