Re: Christmas Tree - and Santa - on Narrow Gauge Caboose
| April 28, 2010 12:48PM |
|
WRRRJosh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More photos of this train are in Bob Richardson's
> Rio Grande Chasing the Narrow Gauge Vol II, pgs.
> 83 and 84.
>
> According to the text, "For years at Salida on a
> Saturday close to Christmas, railroaders ran a
> 'Santa Claus Train.' A highly decorated caboose
> was taken to Poncha Junction where a local
> impersonator of the old gent would climb aboard,
> and the train would then stop at a street crossing
> where Santa would descend and lead the kids
> (and plenty of grownups too!) to a children's show
> at the nearby theater."
>
"A Ticket to Tomahawk", we presume ...
>
> So it looks like this photo is of a train that
> only visited Salida.
>
> That said, I would swear I've seen photos of
> similar cabooses, decorated, sitting in Durango,
> so I will have a hunt through my photo collection
> and see what I can come up with.
-------------------------------------------------------
> More photos of this train are in Bob Richardson's
> Rio Grande Chasing the Narrow Gauge Vol II, pgs.
> 83 and 84.
>
> According to the text, "For years at Salida on a
> Saturday close to Christmas, railroaders ran a
> 'Santa Claus Train.' A highly decorated caboose
> was taken to Poncha Junction where a local
> impersonator of the old gent would climb aboard,
> and the train would then stop at a street crossing
> where Santa would descend and lead the kids
> (and plenty of grownups too!) to a children's show
> at the nearby theater."
>
"A Ticket to Tomahawk", we presume ...
>
> So it looks like this photo is of a train that
> only visited Salida.
>
> That said, I would swear I've seen photos of
> similar cabooses, decorated, sitting in Durango,
> so I will have a hunt through my photo collection
> and see what I can come up with.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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