A Ride on the Santa Train!

For years I have heard about various Santa trains in our area and have always wanted to take our family to ride on one during the holiday season.  After Emmett fell in love with all things train this past year, we were unfortunately unable to take him to see Thomas the Train which was visiting our area for one day in July due to us being in the Outer Banks at the same time.  As a result, I decided that it was as must that I purchase tickets for our family to go on a Santa train in December.  After doing the research and purchasing the tickets back in October, I kept it a secret until Saturday morning when our kids found our Elf on the Shelf, Julius, riding a toy train with four tickets laying in the center of the track.  Ella and Emmett were especially so excited!  

After a rushed morning, we left our house at 9:30 to make it to the train depot in North Bend an hour later.  After checking in at the station, we waited for the train to pull up.  The kids were all so excited when it arrived and when we were able to board our decorated train car.  We enjoyed a fifteen minute ride down to the amazing train museum that was finished just a few years earlier.  We then spent an hour wandering around this museum looking at all of the train cars and engines that are now permanently on display there and loved visiting Santa in the beautifully restored, historic chapel car.  We learned that this kind of train car traveled around the country with a pastor and wife who led religious services from right inside the car.  There are only four of these chapel cars left in our country and one of them is right here in North Bend.  It was beautifully decorated with Christmas trees and garland, lights, and bows and I have never seen a more gorgeous backdrop for a meet-and-greet with Santa.  Since we were the last ones in line, we enjoyed an extra long visit with Santa and were even able to take a family photo with him with our face masks down!  After finishing up with Santa, we enjoyed the same 15 minute ride back to the depot where we were greeting by cookies after getting off the train.

The kids and I posing in front of the train after it pulled into the depot.

The kids posing on the cool, RR crossing sign that has been turned into a round bench of sorts.

The kids all looking at the miniature version of the Polar Express running around on a train track inside the depot window.

Cheese!

Ella and I aboard the train!

Papa and daddy sitting across the aisle.

Cute Emmy and Lia sitting across from Ella and me.

The family posing in front of a very old cattle car inside the museum.

Emmett and Ella watching the Lionel train set on display in the museum.

All four children standing on the stairs on the back of a caboose.

Ella waving from the front of the caboose.  She saw this recently on a movie and wanted to reenact what it would look like if she was waving to me as her train pulled away from the station.

There were several wooden, Thomas the Train tracks and cars at the front of the museum.  Emmett could have played here all day long with Ella at his side.

Emmy and Ella playing away.

After avoiding the long line for Santa, we hopped in the line at the very end of our time at the museum and only had to wait a few minutes to see him.  Here are all four kids posing with Santa inside the beautiful, chapel car.

Santa passing out little train cars to everyone after visiting with him.

The Hartland fam with Santa.

The children posing in front of the awesome steam engine that took us to and from the station after arriving back in North Bend at the end of our morning.