A Blog
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Happy Holidays
Hope yours are merry and bright.
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After the Last Santa Train: What Happens Next?
The platform lights are dark. The last families have driven home with sleepy kids clutching candy canes. Somewhere in a cold shop building, a locomotive is cooling down for the first time in weeks. It’s the moment every heritage railroad works toward all year. And the moment that can break an organization if they’re not…
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Beyond the Polar Express: How Heritage Railroads Are Reinventing Holiday Magic
The Polar Express is everywhere. With 1.8 million guests riding 58 partner railroads in 2024, it’s the 800-pound reindeer in the room for heritage rail. But here’s what the franchise doesn’t tell you: some of the most creative, beloved holiday train experiences in America have nothing to do with that golden ticket. And they’re thriving.…
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When the Rails Bring Hope Home
Every November, families in places like Dante, Virginia gather at railroad crossings before dawn, waiting in the cold. Kids strain to hear a distant whistle. Then it appears through the mist: a locomotive decorated with lights, loaded with 15 tons of toys, clothing, and hope. That’s the CSX Santa Train. It’s been running for 83…
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Small Things Matter
Small things have a way of snowballing. And the time we had to find a new embroidery vendor? Easily top five. It started simple enough: black polos, crew shirts. Car host uniforms. Logo over the heart. All matching, all stitched with pride. Clean. Professional. Not covered in coal dust for at least ten minutes. Then…
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Welcome to Lanterns & Ledgers
A lantern in one hand and a spreadsheet in the other. That’s heritage rail the way I’ve lived it. Grease on your knuckles, coffee cooling on the a toolbox stand, and a board meeting at 7 where someone will absolutely ask “Where is that email?” This blog is where those worlds meet. I run operations,…