Christmas and Trains mean The Polar Express at the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.
Last year I was asked by some dear friends to please put together a costume and come and be “The Conductor” for their church’s Christmas Party that would have guests enter the imaginary world of “The Polar Express”. It had been a while since I had watched the polar express with my kids and family and I couldn’t put my hands on our copy of the Christmas adventure story by Chris Van Allsburg, so of course I “googled it”. I found loads of references to the story that was made into the 2004 movie by Warner Bros. & Castle Rock Entertainment.
The Polar Express Experience
Two of the links were to YouTube videos that passengers had made of their holiday season rides on the Railroad Museum’s annual Christmas event. The first video was of the Railroad Museum’s 2010 annual Polar Express train ride. The second YouTube video was of the 2012 event. These Polar Express adventures were an incredible experiences for the passengers. Just like in the movie, there are tap dancing waiters and porters and chefs. There are actors taking on the roles from the characters in the movie. There’s the Hero Boy, the Conductor (the Tom Hanks character) and the Hobo, as well as the Big Man himself, Santa Clause. As you can see from the YouTube clips, the train ride gives the riders glimpses of Santa’s elves and myriad other sites, sounds and experiences that come right out of the Movie.
The California State Railroad Museum
The California State Railroad Museum is run by the California State Parks system and is part of Old Sacramento Historic Park. The museum’s collection of vintage locomotives and railroad artifacts make it one of the finest museums of its kind. The 100,000 square foot museum has attracted millions of visitors in its more than 30 year existence. One of the things that makes the museum such an awesome attraction is the army of volunteer docents that help give the facility life. Many of the docents are some of the finest tour guides you’ll ever have the pleasure of listening to and learning from.
TK products makes several personal amplifiers that help give a boost to the voices of tour guides across the nation and internationally. The VoiceBooster MR2200 is even used by tour guides in the Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. It is a great help in making sure that everyone in the tour can hear, and it helps preserve the guides voices.
If you are ever California’s capitol city, be sure to visit Old Sacramento and don’t miss the wonderful experience that is the California State Rail Road Museum. And always remember what the Conductor from the Polar Express said; “The thing about trains. . . it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.”