Victorian Christmas 2015

[Wayne Laepple]

Pennsylvania's Wanamaker Kempton & Southern has been doing Christmas trains for close to 50 years, and they find their trains are generally sold out weeks before they actually operate. The majority of their riders are long-time passengers, some having started visiting when they were kids. Some three-generation groups have been part of the event for a number of years. The WK&S folks look upon the income they realize from the Christmas trains as their "profit" for the season.

[Kevin Madore]

As I noted to several of you on Saturday, I believe that Connecticut's Valley Railroad likely has the most successful Christmas Train program in the entire country.   They have their "North Pole Express" which is the premium experience that they offer at night, and the "Santa Special", which is a shorter, daytime ride that has fewer frills and a lower fare.   From mid-November to late December, they run 4 trains a night, 6 nights a week, and they also add 3 daytime trains on Saturdays and Sundays.  During the last two weekends of December, that daytime schedule is expanded to 6 daytime runs.   They have two steam locomotives in operation and two complete, 9-car consists.  

All of these trains are sold out.  The North Pole Express goes on sale in September and sells out within a week or two.  Santa Special tickets don't typically sell out until the season begins, but by early December, there is nothing to be had.   The railroad folks have indicated that they had sold 50,000 tickets this year.   Not five thousand....FIFTY THOUSAND!

Needless to say, their money season is no longer April to October.   God bless 'em.  They have a great operation and have found a way to make money running steam.   Their location doesn't hurt.

/Kevin Madore

[Gordon Cook]

I'll second Kevin's comments about the Valley Railroad. They are a class act.
I was down there a few weekends ago in the evening, and, similar to Strasburg, they set a high standard for the quality of their operation and successful business.
For anyone who would like to spend a few hours basking in the sights and sounds of steam era, branchline, heavyweight passenger trains, that's the place to go.