ORHS Santa Train returning through holiday season
The Orrville Railroad Historical Society’s Santa Train will provide rides throughout this Christmas season, beginning Nov. 30.
For many years Orrville was a hub of railroad activity. The Orrville Railroad Historical Society exists to celebrate Orrville’s railroad past and to share the love of railroads with the community.
ORHS hosts a series of train rides throughout the year, but none is more popular than the Santa Train. After a hiatus of a few years, last year saw the return of this Christmas tradition. And the tradition continues this year with rides throughout the Christmas season.
“Riders travel down the track to a wooded area,” Kathy Green of the ORHS said. “There are light displays, music on both sides of the train and a snow globe. The train travels slowly through this area so that visitors can enjoy the experience. Passengers do not de-board the train but remain safely tucked into the railroad car.
“The train remains at the Winter Wonderland area while Santa visits with the children and families. Riders then begin the journey home as Santa continues to interact with the passengers.”
This year the Santa Train embarks from ORHS's railyard at 2174 S. Crown Hill Road, which is a different location from the downtown Orrville depot. The trip uses a vintage passenger car decorated for the Christmas season. The train ride transports its rider on a 40-minute round trip from the Crown Hill Road railyard to the Winter Wonderland area and back.
Santa pays a visit to passengers in car #208 as the train makes its way along the tracks. For riders who already have given their Christmas wish list to Santa and who would enjoy braving the elements, they can choose car #501, an open-air car. Riders won’t get a visit from Santa if they choose this car, but they will get to have cookies and cocoa for a warm-up after the ride.
ORHS’s mission of educating visitors about the history of railroads and safety around railroad tracks couldn’t happen without a retinue of volunteers.
“It takes a large amount of volunteers to put together an event such as this,” Green said. “It takes hundreds of volunteer hours to keep the trains running. What drives our volunteers is to watch the Santa Train rides being enjoyed by kids both young and old. The excitement of seeing a child when Santa comes through the door of the railcar truly shows the joy of the holiday.”
The train rides will run Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. and 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 6 at 5 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. and 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 13 at 5 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 14 at 11 a.m. and 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 20 at 5 and 7 p.m.; and Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. and 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Parking attendants will assist patrons in parking near the railroad site. Boarding starts 20 minutes prior to departure.
Tickets are $35 per seat with ticketing fees to ride coach #208 with Santa and $15 per seat with fees to ride open-air car #501. Children age 2 and under ride free, but no group rates are available for this outing. Tickets should be purchased online from the ORHS website events page at www.orrvillerailroad.com/events.