Santa Train

Last week we were able to go on the Santa Train that starts in North Bend (up in the mountains near Seattle). Julie bought tickets back in October, because they sell out this train every year. Needless to say, Matthew was very excited in the days leading up to our train ride and in the moments when we were waiting for the train to arrive at the station.

It was pretty cold up in the mountains, but we were well prepared for the cold. Matthew got to wear his mittens and snow hat for the first time this year. Seth also got to wear his bunting and he was very warm.

The train was supposed to be an older train that has been refurbished. We didn't realize just how old it really was. This is the best picture we have of the train, so you can't see it very well. The seats had big springs under them, there was an actual boiler in the car that is supposed to be used to heat the train, and the stairways were so narrow and steep that you probably couldn't get them to pass any kind of modern regulation.

The train ride was only 15-20 minutes down to the station at Snoqualmie. At the Snoqualmie station they had a train museum that included a bunch of old train cars that aren't in use any more. One of the cars was an old military kitchen car in which people were making cookies and warming hot chocloate. The treats were actually pretty tasty, and Matthew was singing parts of the hot chocolate song from The Polar Express. Matthew also liked looking at all of the old cars, including this caboose.

The other big draw at the Snoqualmie station was seeing Santa Clause. We spent most of our time in Snoquamie waiting in line for Santa. Unfortunately, Seth had fallen asleep in line and was out cold. So, only Matthew saw Santa.


After seeing Santa Matthew, the exit goes through the gift shop (of course). Matthew chose one of the engines from the Thomas series that fits his train set at home. After that, we got back on the train to North Bend. It was a pretty day overall.