Families take magical ride on Santa Express

From the familiar call of “All aboard!” to the final departure at the end of the ride, the spirit of Christmas is plentiful along the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society’s annual Santa Express.

Once welcomed aboard by volunteer conductors, the train departs from the station, bound for a short trip to Pleasant Gap. Families are treated to carols and holiday music that’s pumped through the passenger cars, followed by a reading of the children’s classic “The Polar Express.”

It’s not uncommon for families to sing along with the music.

Once the return trip begins, the real fun starts, as several costumed characters — including Buddy the Elf, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Grinch and Santa himself — make their way through the cars, visiting with families to the delight of the numerous small children along for the ride.

“This is all about the kids,” volunteer Matt Bauer said on Sunday. “It’s a lot of work, a lot of time, but at the end of the day, when you look back at all the smiles you put on the little kids’ faces, it just makes everything worth it.”

Bauer, a critical care nurse in Danville, said he started volunteering his time on the Santa Express six years ago. After working with the owner of the passenger cars, Jeff Pontius — helping him tear the cars apart and put them back together — helping out on the rides was the next natural step.

“Everybody that comes and gets involved comes from different walks of life,” said Pontius, of Penn Valley Railroad, pointing out the varied backgrounds of the volunteers. Plumber, delivery driver, police officer — all brought together by the Santa Express.

“They do it because they love it,” he said.

Pontius said he started doing rides on a small scale about 13 years ago and began doing the Santa Express in Bellefonte in 2007. He now provides passenger cars for four express rides over the four weekends leading up to Christmas in Bellefonte, Sunbury, Williamsport and Bloomsburg.

“You create good traditions for kids, you create good memories,” he said. “I enjoy it because of the people and kids.”

The passenger cars — four coaches, a caboose, a dining car and a crew car — are all owed by Pontius, said Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society President Dan Durachko. The Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad provide the locomotives and crew, while the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority supports the rail lines and the society.

“This whole thing is brought together through the efforts of all four groups,” he said.

Tickets for the ride weekend, which began Friday, sold out in about 18 hours, he said, adding that the society plans on keeping ticket prices at $10 for the foreseeable future.

“I like the night rides, when you can see the decorations on the train,” he said. “There’s nothing more impressive than seeing the lights on the train. The volunteers did a good job on the decorations.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 9:31 PM with the headline "Families take magical ride on Santa Express."