(The following story by Jeff Martin appeared on The Examiner website on December 25.)
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Snow and rain can’t keep this train away.
Pelted by snow that felt more like whipping sand, families stood in line on Main Street in Blue Springs Saturday afternoon for that time-honored tradition: The Kansas City Southern’s Holiday Express Train.
Kalie White, 7, of Blue Springs, and Donna, 8, her curly-haired sister, waited in line with their parents for nearly 20 minutes for a tour through the train, which began at the boxcar with a meeting with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.
And there seemed to be as much relief to meet the mystical pair as there was relief to escape the whipping and slashing snow.
“Merry Christmas,” bellowed Santa before a gust of wind blew inside, dislodging one decorative ornament from the wall, sending it bouncing to the floor.
“I brought the North Pole with me, too,” Santa added.
When it left Blue Springs later that day, the holiday train would have, upon its holiday completion, visited 28 stops in 26 communities in eight states throughout the Kansas City Southern Railway Co., operating area , including Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois. The train appeared in Grain Valley on Friday afternoon – with better weather.
The train is led by the KCS Southern Belle. The six-car train includes a smiling tank car “Rudy,” whose expression appeared pinched with all the flying snow; a flat car carrying Santa’s sleigh, reindeer and a miniature village, all of which were Donna’s favorite; a ginger bread box car, which is Kalie’s favorite; the elves’ workshop; the reindeer’s stable; and a little red caboose.
It was during prior visits to the Holiday Express Train that the White family got the idea of creating their own holiday train display, which is kept in its basement and enjoyed by friends and family.
The younger children on Saturday appeared to find the most satisfaction in the miniature train display: Two perpetually moving train scenes that enwrap every young boy’s attention, almost as though a dazzling light display was unfolding before them.
“We don’t have near this much in our display,” said Kalie.
Her father, Donavan, shrugs his shoulders.
“There’s nothing quite like this,” he said. “Maybe we’ll give the train a run for its money next year.”
This year’s theme was Santa Claus, and besides the jolly old elf, one train car was literally stuffed full of Santa Claus dolls – Santa this, Santa that, with even a small Santa Claus train circling below your feet.
Created in 2001 after volunteers dedicated 8,000 plus hours to the transformation of the retired freight train, the Holiday Express Train has become a festive part of celebrating Christmas in Blue Springs.
At the end of each stop, KCS makes a contribution of Wal-Mart gift cards to the local Salvation Army to provide warm clothing for children in need. This year, KCS donated $3,725 worth of cards. The Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce supplied games and activities at the police station, as well as popcorn and snacks.