(The following story by Connie McDougall appeared on The Seattle Times website on November 13.)
SEATTLE — We know what you’re thinking. “Christmas trains? It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and you’re talking Christmas trains?”
True enough, but now is the time to act if you hope to snag reservations on one of the holiday trains running from late November through December. Tickets go fast.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, rail companies are getting ready.
One of the most popular runs, the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad, expects more than 10,000 people this season, with volunteers making cookies for all of them. Kathy Sharpe, a Snoqualmie Valley Railroad volunteer since the ’70s, takes three buses from North Seattle to help with the preparations.
Dale Campbell, locomotive engineer and the railway’s chef, drives from Puyallup. But during the holiday season he often sleeps weekends in one of the trains, so that he’s there and ready to make breakfast for crews.
Conductor Dennis Snook, originally from Massachusetts, enjoys the Christmas onslaught. You can tell as he leans out from the train and in a thick Boston accent hollers, “All aw-BAWD!”
The season and riding the rails go together, possibly because they both allow people to slow down and enjoy the moment.
Here’s a sampling of trains in Washington state:
Snoqualmie Valley Railroad’s Santa Train
Board in North Bend and take the 20-minute ride across a bridge and through the woods to Snoqualmie. Although the cars are covered, it’s chilly, so dress warmly. Santa appears at the depot with a small present for each child. Visitors walk through the “kitchen car” to pick up cocoa and coffee, plus cookies baked in a giant coal stove. Trains run on Nov. 29, 30; Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14 leaving on the hour from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Buy tickets by phone (425-888-2206) or online (www.trainmuseum.org).
Getting there: From I-90 take Exit 31 (North Bend/Highway 202). Follow 202 into downtown North Bend. Cross the railroad tracks and take a right at the light onto North Bend Way and go east three blocks. The depot is at 205 McClellan Street, just behind the Texaco station. Park east or west of the depot on McClellan Street. (Keep street parking on North Bend Way and Highway 202 open for North Bend business customers.)
Camp 9 Logging Museum, Tacoma
Decorated and open-sided cars haul holiday revelers around a 15-mile circuit through dense evergreens in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park. (That’s open-sided, so bundle up.) No reservations are needed as trains leave the depot about every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first three weekends in December: 6, 7; 13, 14 and 20, 21. On a budget? Can’t beat this price, $1 per rider with a couple of important exceptions: People younger than 3, or 99 and older, ride free. An onboard Santa meets and greets. After the ride, duck into the museum’s bunkhouse to warm up with hot chocolate and cookies. For more information, call 253-752-0047, or see www.camp-6-museum.org/c6.html.
Getting there: From I-5 North or South to Tacoma, exit onto Highway 16 West. Take the 6th Avenue exit, stay in center lane, then take a left at the light. Turn right onto Pearl Street. Enter the park and follow signs to Five Mile Drive. At the first stop sign, go through intersection then merge into left lane. The entrance to Camp 6 Logging Museum is on the right side of the road.
Alki Tours Snow Trains to Leavenworth
Lowlanders who require snow for the holidays but dislike driving mountain passes can jump aboard this train to Leavenworth in the Cascades. The train leaves around 8 a.m. from Seattle’s King Street Station, stops in Edmonds and Everett, then chugs to Leavenworth, that oh-so Bavarian town lit up for the holidays. Get a continental breakfast on the way up, dinner on the way down, arriving back in Seattle just before 11 p.m. The Leavenworth Christmas lighting trips are sold out, so try for tickets on Dec. 7, 14 and 21. Cost is $119 per person, $109 for children younger than 12. Tickets: www.alkitours.com/snowtrain.html or 800-895-ALKI
Lake Whatcom Railway, Acme
Owner Frank Culp is proud of his “personal service,” from the holiday music provided to the “real Santa” on board. He gets help from local high-school kids who decorate the cars. The trip lasts about an hour and a half, choo-chooing through the woods and a tunnel, but as Culp says, it takes as long as it takes for Santa to get to each child on board. Rides are on Saturdays, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, departing 9:30 a.m., noon and 2:30 p.m. Reservations required, via mail only: Whatcom Railway, P.O. Box 91, Acme, WA 98220. Call for information: 360-595-2218. Please offer a second choice in case your first is sold out. $14 for adults (18 and older), $7 for kids 2-17.
Getting there: Located in tiny Acme southeast of Bellingham, the depot is by Milepost 67 on Highway 9.
Battle Ground, Yacolt & Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, Yacolt
Such a deal: You get a train ride and score a freshly cut Noble or Douglas fir. This all-volunteer railway offers its annual “Christmas Tree Trains,” hoping the newly restored steam locomotive will be up and running for rides on Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21. Departure times are 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from the Yacolt station, traveling to Moulton Falls. Santa hands out presents to kids; help yourself to holiday drinks and cookies. Cost: Two adults and a Noble tree, $45; 2 adults and a Douglas fir, $37. Adults (no tree), $10; seniors, $9. Kids 5-12, $5; 4 and younger, $2. Reservations are encouraged. Phone: 360- 686-3559.
Getting there: Yacolt depot is on Northeast Railroad Avenue, south of Yacolt Road. Park on the north side of Yacolt Road, west of the train tracks.
Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, Elbe
The Snowball Express runs its steam engine and cars from Elbe to Mineral Lake and back, a trip of just more than an hour. Santa, holiday music and fantastic views of the mountain make this trip rewarding for kids and adults. Bring a can of food or a new toy and get $1 off the price and a free cup of coffee or hot cocoa. Trains depart on Nov. 29, and Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tickets: 12 and older $12.50; seniors 62 and older, $11.50; children 3 to 11, $8.50; younger than 3, free. Advance reservations aren’t necessary. 360-569-2351 or 888- STEAM11 or www.mrsr.com
Getting there: The station is on Highway 7, on the main route to Mount Rainier.