Thursday, January 13, 2011

Trains: The Niles Canyon Railway

Our son loves trains.  I suspect we'll have a few posts in the upcoming months about various train-related activities in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.

We wanted to share a recent and new (for us) train activity - the Niles Canyon Railway.  Tucked into the Niles Canyon, where Sunol is located, is an amazing steam train railroad.  During the holidays, the railway runs evening "light trains."  As the name implies, the trains are covered in holiday lights.

We took a ride on a holiday light-train this past December with friends from my wife's post-partum mommy group, who had rented out a car and asked friends to contribute a share towards the ride.  It was a fantastic experience.  Enchanting and fun for the kids, and a very good time for the parents (who were able to enjoy some grain and grape-based holiday cheer during the ride).

Here's a link:  http://www.ncry.org/

You will want to check the Niles Canyon Railway website in advance of planning your visit.  Unlike some train activities, the holiday trains and the trains year-round are all on a more limited schedule and do not run every day.

Note - we advise either reserving a spot on an enclosed train car, getting there early enough to secure a spot in one, or else bringing warm clothes and a warm set of blankets.  Many of the train cars are exposed to the elements and it can get a bit chilly in Sunol at night.

--TC Daddy

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