Jackson's Santa Express train sells out for season

Jackson's Santa Express was stranded at the station last year, but tickets for rides with St. Nick on the antique tourist train are sold out this Christmas.

Harriet Drusch, a volunteer board member with St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway, the not-for-profit group that keeps the train going, said the positive response is greatly needed and appreciated.

"It has been a lifesaver for us," Drusch said.

Mechanical problems with the 1950 diesel locomotive took the train out of service last year. Drusch said more than $10,000 in repairs were needed to make the engine operational again, including replacement of axles and wheels, called trucks. Once the replacement parts were found on an immobile train in Alabama, a crane had to be rented four times to take off damaged parts and replace them.

Drusch thought increased interest in riding the train might be from people who didn't make the trip last year when holiday activities took place on stationary cars.

"We have a lot of repeat customers from St. Louis, Memphis and Arkansas who have made it a Christmas tradition," Drusch said.

The Santa Express is headed by Pennsylvania Diesel 5898 which pulls three coaches and one or two cabooses from Jackson to Gordonville. It runs along tracks built in 1851 that were originally a part of the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad Corp.

The train will run twice daily on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 18. Hot chocolate and treats are sold during the two-hour round trip while Santa Claus reads the children's book "The Polar Express" over the speaker system and gives each child a chance to sit in his lap.

Elane Moonier is a volunteer with the railway who has been helping raise money for the "Pennies for Paint" campaign that began last July. She said Friday they recently reached their goal of raising the $6,000 needed for supplies to paint the engine and two coach cars.

"We hope the painting will be done by volunteers," Drusch said. She said she expects the project to begin after the close of the season when "the weather is right."

Despite the success of the rides with Santa and the Pennies for Paint drive, the railway still has funding needs, Drusch and Moonier said. The old engine and cars are in constant need of mechanical work and upkeep to meet Federal Railroad Administration guidelines, Drusch said.

The railway has new volunteers, and Drusch thinks that when the season reopens in April or May, they will bring new ideas for entertainment and opportunities to visit the train, in addition to current favorites like the Jesse James Train Robbery and Chocoholic train. Overall, she views the railway as a local treasure.

"It's not a moneymaker; it is a service for the community," Drusch said.

Visitors can tour the train before the 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ride times in December and purchase souvenir hats, scarves and Christmas ornaments onboard that benefit ongoing funding needs. Moonier said that any time volunteers are working in the train yard, they welcome people interested in the railway.

The station is at the intersection of Highway 25 and U.S. 61 in Jackson. Reservations are being taken now for next year's Santa Express. Complete contact and schedule information can be found at www.slimrr.com.

salderman@semissourian.com

388-3648

Pertinent address:

U.S. 61 and Highway 25, Jackson, MO