'Holiday Train' Chugging Into Burlingame Caltrain Station Soon!

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA – Bay Area residents, from The City to the South Bay, know the holiday season has arrived when the Caltrain Holiday Train presented by Silicon Valley Community Foundation makes its way down the Peninsula the first weekend in December.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, the beloved Holiday Train will once again make its way down the Peninsula. The glittering show train has been a favorite, free family holiday tradition for communities all along the Caltrain rail corridor for 14 years.

To spread the word about the spectacular event, one Caltrain passenger car “wrapped” in the Holiday Train artwork is in regular service until the end of December.

Decorated with thousands of lights, the Holiday Train will visit nine Caltrain stations during the weekend. At each of the train’s 20-minute station stops, people can join in singing with onboard carolers and a Salvation Army brass band. Santa, Mrs. Claus and their extended family -- including Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer -- will get off the train to greet kids and pose for pictures.

Prior to the arrival of the train, families can enjoy free entertainment at each of the Holiday Train station stops.

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 - Location - Arrival/Show
San Francisco - 4:00 p.m.
Burlingame - 5:15 p.m.
Redwood City - 6:15 p.m.
Mountain View - 6:55 p.m.
Santa Clara - 8:10 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016 - Location - Arrival/Show
San Francisco - 4:00 p.m.
Millbrae - 5:15 p.m.
San Mateo - 6:20 p.m.
Menlo Park - 7:45 p.m.
Sunnyvale - 8:40 p.m.

“The lighted Holiday Train and all the characters aboard really ignite the excitement and community spirit of the season,” said Emmett Carson, CEO and president of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. “We are proud of our partnership with Caltrain over the past five years to present the great local tradition of the Holiday Train.”

The Holiday Train also offers people the opportunity to make a gift to a child in need. Representatives from The Salvation Army and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program will be at every station collecting toys for local children.

Since the inception of the Holiday Train, generous Bay Area residents have brought more than 50,000 toys to Caltrain stations. People are again encouraged to help make the holidays brighter for local children by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to donate when they visit the Holiday Train.

Santa’s helpers can get into the holiday spirit by donating or becoming a sponsor on the Holiday Train website, holiday-train.org. All Holiday Train donations are collected by and distributed through Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

ALSO SEE:

• Jewelry and Ceramics Holiday Sale at Palo Alto Art Center
• 2016 POLAR EXPRESS: Santa Cruz Railroad
• Palo Alto Players presents The Diary of Anne Frank
• "Catch the Spirit" at the Los Altos History Museum

--Image and info courtesy of Caltrain