(Source: Kansas City Southern press release, August 28, 2012)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern (KCS) announced today its schedule for the 12th Annual Holiday Express. At each scheduled stop, visitors can board the train, visit with Santa and his elves and tour the inside of three cars of the festive six-car train. Each event is free and open to the public.
November 23 – Jefferson, Texas
November 24 – Greenville, Texas
November 25 – Wylie, Texas
November 26 – Pittsburg, Texas
November 27 – Ruston, La.
November 28 – Monroe, La.
November 29 – Pearl, Miss. (Jackson area)
November 30 – Meridian, Miss.
December 1 – Newton, Miss.
December 2 – Vicksburg, Miss.
December 3 – Shreveport, La.
December 4 – Ashdown, Ark.
December 5 – De Queen, Ark.
December 6 – Mena, Ark.
December 7 – Heavener, Okla.
December 8 – Noel, Mo.
December 9 – Stilwell, Okla.
December 10 – Decatur, Ark.
December 11 – Joplin, Mo.
December 12 – Pittsburg, Ks.
December 13 – Drexel, Mo.
December 14, 15 & 16 – Kansas City, Mo.
Schedule details and more Holiday Express information are available from a link on the home page of www.kcsouthern.com or at KCS Holiday Express on Facebook.
In addition to offering free, public events, KCS’ Holiday Express has a charitable component. Over 11 years, the project has raised over $1 million to purchase gift cards, which are donated to the Salvation Army at each scheduled stop. These gift cards are designated for the purchase of warm clothing and other necessities for children.
Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the 2012 Holiday Express fundraising campaign may do so online from the Holiday Express section of www.kcsouthern.com. Sponsorship benefits are available for contributions of $500 or more. The 2012 campaign will close on October 29.
The Holiday Express was built on the tradition of the Santa Train, which ran on a segment of the network purchased by KCS in 1997. In 2000, KCS employees noticed that the Santa Train was the only Christmas some kids had, and that some did not even have essential items like coats, hats and gloves. KCS employees were so touched that they committed to elevating the project. In 2001, volunteers transformed a retired freight train to the experience that communities throughout KCS’ U.S. service territory enjoy today.
Led by KCS’ Southern Belle business train, the Holiday Express train includes a smiling tank car “Rudy”; a flatcar carrying Santa’s sleigh, reindeer and a miniature village; a ginger bread boxcar; a newly remodeled elves’ workshop; the reindeer stable; and a little red caboose. Each car is dressed in lights.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., KCS is a transportation holding company that has railroad investments in the U.S., Mexico and Panama. Its primary U.S. holding is The Kansas City Southern Railway Company, serving the central and south central U.S. Its international holdings include Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., serving northeastern and central Mexico and the port cities of Lázaro Cárdenas, Tampico and Veracruz, and a 50 percent interest in Panama Canal Railway Company, providing ocean-to-ocean freight and passenger service along the Panama Canal. KCS’ North American rail holdings and strategic alliances are primary components of a NAFTA Railway system, linking the commercial and industrial centers of the U.S., Mexico and Canada. In 2012, KCS celebrates its 125th anniversary.