It's getting to be that season at Steamtown National Historic Site.../NPS
Steamtown National Historic Site will operate diesel-powered “Holiday Express” excursions to Moscow, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 24–26.
Join park staff for a great beginning to the winter holiday season. These festive railroad excursions offer caroling aboard the trains to Moscow, where the “big guy in the red suit” will be waiting. At the restored freight station, adults can help their youngsters write letters for Santa to take with him to the North Pole, make holiday arts and crafts, see a model train and village exhibit, and even take “selfies” with jolly old St. Nick. Light refreshments, along with souvenirs, will be available for sale at the station stop.
Departure times from Steamtown are Friday, November 24, and Saturday, November 25, at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with return times to the park scheduled for approximately 11:45 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. respectively. On Sunday, November 26, departure time is 12:30 p.m. with return time to the park at approximately 2:45 p.m. Trains begin boarding 30 minutes prior to departure.
Passenger coaches will be propane-heated but may be chilly, so dress according to the weather. Note that the coaches will not be accessible for individuals with mobility issues. Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis by phoning 570-340-5204, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Reservations cost $24 for adults ages 16-61, $22 for adults 62 years and older, $17 for children ages 6-15. Children to age 5 with an accompanying adult require a free ticket.
The park’s short train rides will operate on Fridays – Sundays through November 12 at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. While the park no longer charges an entrance fee, there is a charge of $5 for all, ages 6 and older, for the short train rides. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown is open daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Comments
Holiday trains? What are those? Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! Ho! Ho! Ho!
By the way. The Grand Canyon Railway also operates the Polar Express from Williams to South Rim. I've not taken it, but I'm told kids get to dress in their jammies and meet Saint Nick along the way. 90,000 rode last year. So much for the argument that trains don't "sell."
All we need for them is to sell again in Yellowstone, and we can be done with this paving madness. But again, that would take some cultural honesty, like calling it Christmas instead of a "holiday." Hanukkah is also fine, for that matter. It is merely important to remember how "holidays" start.
On that note, the "Christmas in a Small Town" celebration, sponsored by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, is a commendable addition to the holiday trains, and a reminder what the "holiday" means. See http://www.lhva.org/santa-train/
At the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway, Alaska, the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad pulls their cars out of winter storage [for some years now the WP&YR has only run in the summers for the tourist trade plus this holiday run]. Most locals and many Canadian friends from across the border [about ten miles away] show up. The passenger cars are usually labelled either 'family' or 'adult', or some variation on that so that those enjoying an adult holiday beverage can be with each other. The entire affair is free of charge. We would meet our friends on board each of the years we lived in Skagway. The train depot, by the way, is next door to the KLGO park headquarters building.
https://skagwaynews.com/2014/12/24/santa-claus-is-coming-to-town/
http://khns.org/santa-leaves-sleigh-to-hop-train-through-skagway