Kansas City Southern (KCS) has announced that its 16th annual Holiday Express train will distribute a total of $153,290 in gift cards to The Salvation Army at stops along its route. The gift cards are designated for the purchase of warm clothing and other necessities for children in need. Each event is free and open to the public.
The Holiday Express train is led by KCS’ Southern Belle business train and includes a smiling tank car “Rudy”; a flatcar carrying Santa’s sleigh, reindeer and a miniature village; a gingerbread box car; an elves’ workshop; the reindeer stable; and a little red caboose. The train will stop in 22 communities in 7 states on 26 dates. At each stop, visitors can board the train, visit with Santa and his elves and tour the inside of three cars of the train.
“On behalf of the employees of Kansas City Southern, we look forward to bringing Santa Claus and his elves on the Holiday Express train to communities throughout our U.S. service territory, and we are especially pleased to continue the tradition of charitable giving in each community where the train will stop,” said KCS president and CEO Patrick J. Ottensmeyer.
The Holiday Express was built on the tradition of the Santa Train, which ran on a rail line bought by KCS in 1997. In 2000, a group of KCS employees noticed that the Santa Train was the only Christmas some kids had and that some kids did not have essential items like coats, hats and gloves. In 2001, volunteers transformed a retired freight train into the KCS Holiday Express train.
KCS acknowledges the major sponsors who helped make this year’s contribution possible, including Bartlett Grain, Burris Logistics, The Kansas City Southern Charitable Fund, Kansas City Southern Historical Society, Michael and Marlys Haverty Family Foundation, Patrick Ottensmeyer Family Fund, R.J. Corman Railroad Group, Steel Dynamics, Watco Companies, and other additional sponsors.