Railtown 1897 Offers Three Weekends of Popular “Harvest Haunt Express” & “Polar Express” Train Rides
Special Train Rides Pulled by the Famous Sierra No. 3 on Saturdays
JAMESTOWN, Calif. – California State Parks, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation and Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (SHP) are proud to offer three weekends of family-friendly “Harvest Haunt Express” train rides October 17-18, October 24-25, and October 31-November 1, 2015. Staffed by a “skeleton crew,” the popular train rides take place aboard an excursion train that departs at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. On Saturdays, the excursion train will be pulled by Sierra No. 3 (the “Movie Star Locomotive”) and on Sundays by a vintage diesel locomotive. Train ride guests are encouraged to get in the spirit and dress up according to these fun weekly themes: Heroes & Villains (October 17-18), Pirates & Princesses (October 24-25) and Witches & Wizards (October 31-November 1). Children will also receive a fun Halloween party favor when they disembark (while supplies last).
Located in the heart of California’s Gold Country, Railtown 1897 SHP combines railroad heritage, local history and the lure of Hollywood and is one of only two authentic and still-operating steam-era railroad roundhouse complexes in the entire country. The Park is home to the famous “Movie Star Locomotive” Sierra No. 3, which has an impressive history of starring in more than 200 high profile film and television productions such as “High Noon,” “Back to the Future 3” and “Petticoat Junction.”
Tickets for “Harvest Haunt Express” train rides (which include Park admission) are $15 adults, $10 youths ages 6-17, ages 5 and under are free. To make advance online reservations, visit www.railtown1897.org or call (209) 984-3953 for more information.
For the second year in a row, California State Parks, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation and Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (SHP) in Jamestown are proud to present THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride on Fridays through Sundays from December 4 through December 20, 2015. Three festive train rides will be available each day the trains are running at 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. First introduced in the Sacramento area in 2007 by the California State Railroad Museum, THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride experience in Old Sacramento State Historic Park sells out within hours and is already sold out for 2015.
Utilizing a festive locomotive decked out to reflect Christmas magic and headed to the North Pole, the staff at the Railtown 1897 SHP goes to great lengths to re-create the holiday experience depicted in the classic children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The holiday experience includes keepsake golden tickets, hot cocoa, festive holiday cookies, Santa Claus sightings and even the coveted silver bells – the first gift of Christmas for those who still believe in Santa Claus.
Ticket prices for THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride at Railtown 1897 SHP are as follows: $45 per person for coach seating, open-air car is $160 per table of four, and $60 per person for a VIP experience that includes First Class seating and a souvenir THE POLAR EXPRESS™ mug. Children under two years of age are free and must be seated on an adult’s lap during the ride. THE POLAR EXPRESS ™ Train Ride is a fundraiser for the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, which supports Railtown 1897 SHP. Advance tickets are available online only; for reservations, visit www.railtown1897.org. Additionally, more information is available on THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride hotline at 209-984-3407.
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California State Parks Mission
To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high quality outdoor recreation.
Traci Rockefeller Cusack
T-Rock Communications
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