The open flat car bounced as the train chugged along, making its way past trees, ponds and farms. Every so often, the scream of the horn interrupted the conversation of passengers aboard.
“Hoo hoo,” 3-year-old Lawson Plocharsky said, smiling and giggling each time the horn sounded. “Choo choo train!”
“He’s the reason why we’re here,” said Angie Chapman, looking down at her son’s beaming face.
Chapman said they learned about the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad’s Steam Winter Spectacular and knew they had to come. For the Saturday event, the railroad company brings out an ALCO steam engine 2-8-2 T class, which only gets used for special occasions.
“He’s so fascinated by trains,” she said. Chapman said that Thomas the Train and Chuggington are his favorites.
“The tunnel is coming!” he squealed.
The ride started in Yacolt and traveled to a 330-foot tunnel before doubling back to make a stop at Moulton Falls. At the outpost, parents and children were invited to eat cookies, drink hot chocolate and cider and meet Santa before heading back to the station.
Some aboard were train enthusiasts, while others liked the small-town feel that the event had.
Joey Cooper said she brought her grandson, Keegan Shinners, who is 3 1/2 years old, for the ride along with his two cousins and aunt and uncle.
“We try to plan it all together,” she said, though added that not everyone could attend. “I traded my husband for my grandson as my date for the day — I upgraded.”
She said she’s thought of doing other steam train events in the area, but keeps coming back to the one put on by Chelatchie Prairie Railroad.
“This is more authentic and more family-friendly and outdoors,” she said. “I love the volunteers, it’s so obvious they enjoy themselves. … We love it,”
During the stop in the tunnel, volunteer Jerry Jacobus turned off the lights in the 1917 coach heavyweight, causing the car to become pitch-black. He said he does it for the “excitement factor.”
That was the favorite part of the train ride for Stella Dodge, 5, and Delaney Dodge, 4, who say they love Halloween.
“It’s dark and scary,” Stella said with a grin. They both said they also liked when the steam blanketed the train. “The smoke was blowing in my face,” Delaney said.
But the real highlight, they both said, was Santa. Each girl walked away with a teddy bear — Delaney named her bear Maria, and Stella named her bear Golden Fuzz.
The girls’ father, Seth Dodge, said that they’ve done the train ride every year and that he intends to keep the tradition alive. The girls’ grandmother agreed.
“I’ll do this as long as the girls don’t come with me anymore, and even then I’ll probably still come,” said the girls’ grandmother Gena Perkins. “I would never miss this.”
