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 Posted - December 20 2009 : 11:22:56 PM
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I just got back from a family trip to Union Station in KC to see the Kansas City Southern holiday train. For those who don't know, it's a Christmas themed train that comes through every year. The wait is ridiculous....it took 2 hours to get through the line! Once you get through, you can tour the train. Santa is in the caboose to take pictures with the kids, then there are cars with model train and Christmas displays. Outside there's a flatcar with Santa's reindeer and "Rudy" the Thomas-style locomotive. Actually, Rudy's just a flatcar. The real power is a KCS loco that sits nearby. Here's some pics. Sorry for the white boxes...I don't like to put my kid's picture on the internet so I blocked her out.
Here's the caboose. You enter inside the station. Santa's in there to greet the kids.
From there you go through a series of cars with Christmas trains. One even goes under the floor. There are all sorts of decorations, Santa and other dolls, villages, etc.
When you step out you can see the cars up close.
Here's "Rudy" the locomotive. He puffs out steam and is lit up for night.
This is the real power:
It was fun, but a loooooong wait for a short tour.
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Country:  USA ~
Posts: 1166 ~
Member Since: October 18 2009 ~
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Posted - December 21 2009 : 10:34:36 AM
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ah neat BN used to do that all over their lines 
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Country: USA ~
Posts: 15000 ~
Member Since: February 23 2009 ~
Last Visit: March 01 2026
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Posted - December 21 2009 : 1:00:45 PM
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Rudy looks pretty happy for the holidays, and the rest of the consist is looking quite festive too, but I'd LOVE to see an old F-unit like that up close. 
    
- Matt -
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Country:  Canada ~
Posts: 1021 ~
Member Since: August 24 2008 ~
Last Visit: January 05 2020
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Posted - December 24 2009 : 10:36:09 PM
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The F-unit was awesome. Squeaky clean and bright. Looks brand new. KCS has both some of the sharpest and ugliest equipment out there. The passenger cars behind it are interesting as well. The first is a Great Northern Empire Builder and the second is a Santa Fe.
Union Station KC is kind of an odd place. It's like they don't really care about their heritage. There's a smallish "Rail Experience" exhibit, but I've seen better. The building mostly houses Science City, which is an interactive science museum for kids, and an IMAX theater. Both of those are nice, but I'd like to see more railroad history. Apparently they couldn't even drum up enough support for their last scheduled model railroad show, because they had to cancel it. It seems like nobody around here cares.
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Country: USA ~
Posts: 1166 ~
Member Since: October 18 2009 ~
Last Visit: December 23 2018
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