Make holiday memories on the railroad
Holiday magic abounds across Kentucky railways, and all are welcome to embark on a spirited journey with some of the season’s most beloved characters. Climb aboard and let the rails of nostalgia carry you into the holiday spirit.
Big South Fork Scenic Railway
The first stop on this festive tour is the Big South Fork Scenic Railway’s Polar Express Train Ride in Stearns.
Before boarding, riders watch a live-action, 20-minute show setting the mood, and then the conductor calls, “All aboard.” Passengers begin their journey from Stearns to the “North Pole,” on a mission to pick up Santa Claus.
Every passenger is issued a golden ticket, which is stamped by the conductor as the journey progresses.
“The golden ticket is a big deal,” says Michelle Simpson, creative director for the Polar Express Train Ride. “It’s magical. At the beginning of the journey, passengers are asked if they ‘believe’ with the hopes they’ll know by the end of the journey. Tickets are stamped with the letter ‘B’ for ‘believe’.”
During the expedition, Polar Express chefs sing and dance and serve sweet treats and hot chocolate, just like in the movie, and the conductor reads from the The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.
Simpson, a consumer-member of South Kentucky RECC, says volunteers are the engine that keep the train running. Actors audition for roles. If selected, they volunteer their time from November 14 to December 23.
Santa boards the train at the North Pole, and during the ride back, he visits every coach, handing out the “first gift of Christmas” to each passenger Big South Fork Scenic Railway has hosted the Polar Express train during the holidays annually since 2017, except for a pause in 2020. Train rides are about one hour long, and passengers are encouraged to wear pajamas.
“I love seeing families dressed in the same pajamas,” Simpson says. “We’ve had riders come year after year, and now it’s their family tradition.”
Kentucky Railway Museum
The second stop is the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven, which offers three ways to celebrate the holidays: the Santa Claus Express, the North Pole Express and Brunch with Santa.
Santa Claus Express is a daytime train embodying all the nostalgia of the season with carols and visits from Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves. From the windows of the decorated train, passengers see farmland, bridges and wildlife as they travel through the Rolling Fork River Valley, says Lynn Kustes, marketing manager for the Kentucky Railway Museum.
If a ride to retrieve Santa from the North Pole sounds more exciting, then choose the North Pole Express. A night ride, the first half embarks on a journey to the North Pole for Santa.
“All the hype is getting there,” says Kustes, a Nolin RECC consumer-member. “You look out your window and everything is all lit up. Santa waves to all the kids, and then he’ll get on the train and invite everyone back to the train station to sit on his lap and visit with him.”
Sugar cookies and hot chocolate are available at Mrs. Claus’s Cookie Caboose either before or after rides. Lynn says visitors take in the event space, play games, read story sheets and may see some other Christmas characters.
Brunch with Santa takes riders from New Haven to Gethsemane, where passengers are shuttled to The Legacy at Log Still Distillery to spend time with Santa and Mrs. Claus and eat tasty treats like breakfast breads, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, waffles and carved honey ham. The train returns passengers to the museum after brunch.
The Kentucky Railway Museum has been hosting Santa trains for over 20 years.
“So many people come year after year. People who brought their children are now bringing their grandchildren,” Kustes says.
Bluegrass Railroad Museum
All aboard for the third stop on this holiday train adventure. The Bluegrass Railroad Museum in Versailles has been offering its Santa Claus Trains experience for 19 years.
Visitors board the train and wait for Santa to arrive with the help from the Versailles Fire Department. Santa rides with passengers through the Kentucky countryside. Thoroughbreds and the Kentucky River are two beautiful sights along the 90-minute ride, says John Penfield, executive director.
Santa and Mrs. Claus visit every train car, taking time with each child, who can sit on Santa’s lap and give him their wish list. Other holiday friends like Frosty the Snowman and The Grinch entertain passengers while kids wait for Santa.
“When I first came out to ride the Santa Train with my grandkids, I saw all the kids smiling and so happy,” Penfield says. “So I decided to volunteer out here, and now I’m the executive director.”
After the train returns to its station, Santa says goodbye and returns to the North Pole. Riders disembark from the train and spend time in the train station, where they enjoy the decorations and can purchase a commemorative Santa Trains Christmas tree ornament in the gift shop. A new one is designed every year.
Historic RailPark and Train Museum
The final stop on our holiday journey is the Historic RailPark and Train Museum in Bowling Green. The Polar Express Storytime event is free and takes place on the Duncan Hines Dining Car. The locomotive remains stationary as passengers board to listen to a spirited reading of The Polar Express.
Visitors are encouraged to arrive at least 15 minutes before boarding time to enjoy hot cocoa and cookies. Live holiday music rings through the air, and the gift shop is open with photo booth opportunities inside.
“This is an authentic experience,” says Executive Director Jamie Johnson, a Warren RECC consumer-member. “Visitors have the connection of reading The Polar Express while being on a train. It’s very magical for kids. It’s a traditional and wholesome Christmas experience.”
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of storytime at the Historic RailPark and Train Museum. The Polar Express is read every 30 minutes from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on select nights in December. Kids are encouraged to wear pajamas.
“During the event, the kids are so cute,” Johnson says. “They are wide-eyed and so excited. This is Christmas to them.”
Railway museums and their nonprofit status
Railway museums are a way of promoting the history of the railroad and its culture. The Bluegrass Railroad Museum, Historic RailPark and Train Museum, Big South Fork Scenic Railway, and Kentucky Railway Museum are nonprofit organizations, serving their community.
The Historic RailPark and Train Museum in Bowling Green operates as an attraction year-round, says Executive Director Jamie Johnson.
“We preserve and tell the story of passenger trains,” Johnson says. “We teach about the history with the purpose to ignite interest, especially for non-train enthusiasts.”
Kentucky Railway Museum sets out to educate people on the history and heritage of Kentucky’s railroads and the people who built them. Rail equipment and artifacts are used for this purpose, says Lynn Kustes, marketing manager.
Although train rides operate from April through December each year, the Kentucky Railway Museum, in New Haven, is open year-round.
“We’re hoping in the tourist train world,” says Kustes. “We’re trying to keep the enthusiasm and history alive because the history is deep here.”
The Bluegrass Railroad Museum is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with a mission to “preserve and present” interactive experiences of the history of Kentucky’s railroads through artifacts at the museum and operation of antique train tours, says John Penfield, executive director.
Penfield says the Bluegrass Railroad Museum even offers a training program for people interested in becoming conductors and locomotive engineers. He says individuals who have completed this program have received full-time jobs with major railroads.
Preparing for a Christmas Train
Holiday train rides require months of preparation. From decorating to securing volunteers, deciding on dates and booking character actors, planning for these large event takes dedication.
John Penfield, executive director at the Bluegrass Railroad Museum in Bowling Green, starts booking actors in January for the following December. By the end of October, he and his volunteers begin decorating the train with Christmas lights, streamers and trees, he says.
At New Haven’s Kentucky Railway Museum, Marketing Manager Lynn Kustes and her volunteers begin decorating at the beginning of November, which usually takes around three to four weeks to complete, she says. They also make cookie orders and secure event volunteers.
“As soon as the event is over, we schedule dates for the following year, schedule character actors and complete all the preliminary work,” says Jamie Johnson, executive director at the Historic RailPark and Train Museum in Bowling Green. “When July hits, we open everything back up and start promoting the event.”
Michelle Simpson, creative director for the Polar Express Train Ride and Big South Fork Scenic Railway in Stearns, begins preparing in August by engaging her committee of volunteers who meet regularly until the event. In October, rehearsals begin and are held weekly for about a month until the event, she says.
At the heart of these holiday trains are the volunteers.
Simpson says the Polar Express Train Ride would not happen without the dedication of its more than 350 volunteers.
“Volunteers are a vital part of us,” says Kustes. “Our people have a passion to want to be here, and that spreads to the families and kids and their smiling faces. If we didn’t have volunteers, we couldn’t do this. Their interest in every visitor is what keeps people coming back.”
