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2015 Santa Train

By Events, News

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Santa Claus and his train return to the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society this December!

Climb aboard a heated, vintage caboose for a 20-minute train ride with Santa. Enjoy food from Bravas, live entertainment and explore the world-famous Nickel Plate Road no. 765.

The trains are operated by a 1950s diesel locomotive. Trains run continuously all three Saturdays and depart three times each hour.

Santa Train
December 5th, 12th, 19th
9AM-5PM
15-20 minute rides with Santa
$4 (children 4-12) $5 (adults)
Children 3 and under free.

Santa Charters
December 6th, 13th, 20th
Noon-4PM
45 minute trips for families and groups of up to 15 people.
$300.00


Seating is extremely limited and walk-in availability cannot be guaranteed.

For the fourth year in a row, Santa Charters for families and large groups can be reserved on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons at select times.

All trains depart the railroad historical society’s restoration facility at 15808 Edgerton Road, New Haven, 46774.

DISCLAIMERS

Please wear sturdy, comfortable shoes – do not wear flip-flops, sandals, open-toed or high-heel shoes. Cars are not ADA-compliant due to their historic nature, however most passengers with limited mobility can be accommodated with advance planning. Please contact us with questions.

These operations take place at a working railroad facility. Please be mindful of your safety and the safety of your guests. Watch your step, be mindful of moving railroad equipment, uneven surfaces or bad footing, do not walk on the railhead and obey instructions from train crew at all times.

Your presence and participation indicates that you accept the limits of liability from inherent risks of all activities and operations. We reserve the right to substitute motive power or rolling stock as necessary. Train rides may be subject to mechanical delays, which are nevertheless uncommon. Your ticket is redeemable for a trip with Santa and does not necessarily guarantee a trip on a moving train, but does guarantee a visit with Santa aboard a train if the train is momentarily out-of-service due to mechanical delays.

Your support and participation are greatly appreciated.

Why 765

By News, video

October 28th is “Engine No. 765 Day” in Fort Wayne and Allen County. Why, you ask? Climb aboard and we’ll show you.

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Logistics, planning and volunteers key to 765’s excursion trip eastward

By News, Press Coverage

The News-Sentinel covered the ever increasing challenges – and rewards – in operating the 765:

The 765 was active the majority of the weekends it was gone, including three straight in July and early August beginning with the Wabash Cannonball trip from Fort Wayne to Lafayette. Lynch said that that grueling schedule of back-to-back-to-back weekends will likely not be repeated in future excursion seasons. While the locomotive itself operates better the more it is run, the strain on engine and train staff, many of whom are volunteers, was substantial.“One weekend is a touchdown, two weekends is even better, but by the end of the third weekend many of the volunteers are just looking for the next day to sleep in,” Lynch said. “It really takes a small army to operate the 765.”

Lynch said that the entire operation this excursion season included a core group of between 25-30 people, from engineers and locomotive maintenance crew to managers, directors and passenger car hosts.The core group was complemented by other volunteers who join the “traveling circus” for a weekend or two here and there at various stops and geographical regions as their schedules allowed.

Read more.

 

Society receives donation for Headwaters Junction study

By Headwaters Junction, News

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA – The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Inc. (FWRHS) marks the beginning of its 2015 excursion season with an inaugural trip out of Fort Wayne and news of a major donation toward making a combined railroad and riverfront attraction a reality.

Steel Dynamics has donated $15,000 toward a marketing and feasibility study for Headwaters Junction, a lauded attraction concept designated as a critical component of Phase 1 of the riverfront plan. The total cost of the $70,000 study and development work is anticipated to be covered by grants and private donations.

Headwaters Junction would prominently feature the Society’s popular attractions, annual events, programming, excursion trains, and an interpretive facility and is estimated to attract between 100-200,000 additional visitors to downtown Fort Wayne each year.

“We are very grateful to Steel Dynamics for helping us kick off the project,” said Kelly Lynch, Communications Director. “The community has steadily come to understand the worldwide appeal of the 765 and its operations. Having this train is a lot like having one of the last living dinosaurs and the Polar Express all wrapped up into one.”

Headwaters Junction, upper left, with feature a recreated roundhouse and railroad attraction with operating tourist trains and annual programming.

SWA Group, a landscape and architecture firm, consulted with the city throughout 2014 to develop a viable riverfront plan. Early in 2015, SWA Group proclaimed that Headwaters Junction has the potential activate the neighborhood and riverfront area in an authentic and catalytic way. More information on the project is available at headwatersjunction.org.

On July 18th and 19th, historic steam locomotive No. 765 will operate two round-trips between Fort Wayne and Lafayette, Indiana in a repeat of its successful trips from 2013, which sold out in less than 2 hours. The round-trips feature a variety of accommodations aboard passenger cars from the turn of the century, including the Dover Harbor, a 1920s car complete with its own wait-staff, kitchen, and meals served throughout the day. Tickets are on sale now at fortwaynerailroad.org.

The Society has recently added additional tickets for its reincarnation of the Wabash Cannonball, a famous passenger train that operated between St. Louis, Fort Wayne, and Detroit.

The Fort Wayne trips mark the beginning of a busy year that will see No. 765 operate in Youngstown, Ohio, Allentown and Scranton, Pennsylvania, Buffalo, New York, and the Cleveland-Akron region. Passengers routinely travel from all 50 states and travel internationally to experience the vintage steam locomotive and train.

Nickel Plate No. 765 to operate trips out of Steamtown National Historic Site

By Events, Excursions

SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA – One of the biggest steam locomotive stars in North America will roll into Scranton to celebrate RailFest 2015 and the 100th anniversary of the Nicholson Bridge, officially referred to as the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct.

On September 5th-7th, steam locomotive No. 765 will operate trips to the Delaware Water Gap aboard a recreation of the famous Phoebe Snow, a trip to East Stroudsburg, and appear on static display for festival attendees during RailFest. The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society anticipates having open vestibules aboard the Phoebe Snow and a special photo runby during the layover. Each trip will feature accommodations aboard vintage passenger cars from the 1920s through 1940s.

Tickets for these excursions are on sale now at fortwaynerailroad.org/events-and-excursions.

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This summer will mark the first time in history No. 765 has operated out of the Scranton area in its history. Steamtown National Historic Site maintains several former Nickel Plate Road locomotives in its collection, including Nickel Plate Road No. 759, a sister engine to the 765. The 759 resides on static display inside the Steamtown roundhouse and at one time operated limited excursions out of the region in the 1970s.

“We are really thrilled to bring a mainline steam locomotive to Steamtown and work with the National Park Service, Norfolk Southern, and the various groups collaborating to make these experience for our passengers,” said Bill Otter, Society president.