Railroad hobbyists offer kids a ride to Santa's house

On Saturday, the conductor will be shouting to passengers that the Pasco equivalent of the Polar Express is pulling out of the station.

Next stop: Santa's workshop.

The new event organized by Central Pasco & Gulf Railroad enthusiasts will highlight the miniature railroad at Crews Lake Wilderness Park off State Road 52 in the Hudson-Shady Hills area.

Volunteers with CP&G Railroad are also bringing back nightly train rides through woods lighted with Christmas displays. Visitors can catch a ride from 6 to 9 p.m. today and Friday.

The nighttime train rides proved popular enough last year that the railroad enthusiasts wanted to pull out all the stops in 2009.

They took the advice of Rick Buckman, the director of the Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department, who suggested dressing up the depot to mimic Santa's home at the North Pole, said Bill Donati, one of the CP&G directors.

The resulting experience has visiting children and their parents completing a loop aboard the miniature train before arriving at Santa's home. They will then get a chance to talk to the jolly old elf while sipping hot chocolate.

CP&G crews will cover a large enclosure, about 20 feet by 40 feet, with a white-frosted cloth as part of the winter wonderland illusion, Donati said.

The crews have also set up lighted decorations, such as nine reindeer, in the woods for the nighttime train rides, Donati said.

The nighttime holiday scenes really stand out, Donati said. "There's no ambient light. It's pure black at night."

Each night excursion lasts about 20 to 25 minutes. The group has six trains decked out for the occasion. The railroad enthusiasts have installed padded seats on all the passenger cars, Donati said.

The Christmas events probably will eclipse the popular Halloween excursions, when some 1,000 people rode the rails of CP&G.

Children ages 3 and younger will ride free at the holiday events. The suggested donation is $2 a person for other passengers each day. Hot dogs, soda and hot chocolate will be available for a small cost.

For information, go to www.cpgrr.org.

The evolution of CP&G continues, Donati said. The club had laid more than 6,000 feet of track in recent years for a loop of about a mile. By the end of February, the group will start laying tracks to extend the line another 2,000 feet.

Also, CP&G will host a national convention Feb. 14-17 with 75 to 100 trains from groups across the country.