THOMASTON, Conn. — From the stationhouse to the tracks, the scene is becoming more and more seasonal at the Railroad Museum of New England (RMNE) in Thomaston.
Each year, the staff and volunteers at the RMNE decorate the inside of the stationhouse and the outsides of the railcars with Christmas cheer in anticipation of thousands of families coming to take a holiday ride.
“This is the season and it's one of the most magical seasons that we have here,” said Orion Newall, an engineer and the passenger operations manager at the Railroad Museum of New England and the Naugatuck Railroad.
Newall, 22, noted that he has been working at the Museum in Thomaston since he was 15, and said he expects around 25,000 people will come and take a holiday train ride over the next five weeks.
“We have a great team of staff and volunteers making this all happen, so you only have four to five weeks of the holiday season but it takes months to plan for it,” Newall said.
The Railroad Museum of New England sports a rolling stock from every era – many of the cars ran the rails in Connecticut. Newall added that the holiday season is among his favorite times of year to run a train.
“I think it’s a sense of community,” said Newall. “Seeing everyone come and bringing their families and being together and enjoying a train ride they get to experience that with us and we get to share that with them.”
The Railroad Museum of New England and partner Naugatuck Railroad will be running holiday trains like the “Santa Express” and “Northern Lights Limited” over the next month. They also offer a “Sipping with Santa” Train for adults.
Tickets are limited due to popularity. To learn more, click here.
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