Polar Express on the Texas State Railroad

[Jason Rose]

December 28, 2013
Dean Wright - MP 23.3

I’ve been to Dean Wright a dozen times, it’s my favorite spot on the Texas State Railroad. However, it is radically different at night! It was very dark and very quiet. The air was cold, damp, and still… peaceful. Several times we heard a pack of coyotes off in the distance. And, it seemed we could see every star in the Heavens with amazing clarity. It was simply awesome.

The train materialized out of the darkness, the lights beaming through the fog giving an ethereal air to the scene. For the few moments while it passed, the area was lit up and the sound seemed deafening compared to the silence just before. In the coaches we could see hundreds of smiling kids with Santas while the wait staff danced in the aisles dressed in costumes from the Polar Express movie.

This was a terrific way to end 2013.