Easter Bunny Hops Train
By Michael Yoder
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
April 9, 2007

Laurie Mackison has done almost every job imaginable at the Strasburg Rail Road except engineer or conductor.

But it’s her early spring assignment that gives the greatest satisfaction — dressing up as the Easter Bunny.

Dozens of people braved unusually chilly spring temperatures to ride Train No. 400, “The Executive,” for a 45-minute Easter Sunday trip with the Easter Bunny.

Mackison, who has dressed as the Easter Bunny off and on for the last 11 years, said she loves to talk to the people, but the hardest part of the job is staying quiet when she is in costume.

“It’s just neat to go through the train and see the kids’ faces light up when they get a piece of candy,” Mackison said.

Coal-fired potbellied stoves kept passengers warm in 30-degree temperatures on the trip from Strasburg to Paradise and back. Last year temperatures were in the 70s for Easter.

Eric and Meagan Johnson of New Bedford, Mass., brought their 2-year-old son, Alexander, on his first train ride.

The Easter Bunny handed him a red clear-toy candy rabbit, and he started blowing her kisses.

Karen Johnson, Alexander’s grandmother, said she enjoyed the ride and was glad her grandson got to experience a small piece of nostalgia.

The ride “takes you back in time,” Mrs. Johnson said. “It’s something to do on a cold day.”

Linn Moedinger, president of the Strasburg Rail Road, spent Sunday running and working on a 1920’s Cagney locomotive, a miniature steam engine used to transport amusement-park visitors in the early 1900s.

He said special events like the Easter Bunny help to draw people to the railroad.

Strasburg Rail Road has featured the Easter Bunny on trains since it opened in 1959.

Moedinger said attendance numbers have dropped since a peak in the early 1990s, and the group has been searching for ways to attract tourists.

“It’s a little more difficult to get (tourists) here today, but when you get them here, they’re fascinated,” Moedinger said.

To read this article, please visit Lancaster Online.

Hoppin Down The Strasburg Rails
Media Release
Strasburg Rail Road

Strasburg, Pa - (March 3, 2007) - Hop into the season with an Easter tradition at the Strasburg Rail Road. Travel with Peter Cottontail as a vintage steam train takes you on a 45-minute journey from the East Strasburg Station to Paradise, Pennsylvania and back. Also enjoy our miniature steam train, our pump car, cranky cars and a behind-the-scenes tour of our shop where trains are built and refurbished. For a special treat, tempt your taste buds in our Dining Car, our trackside restaurant, or pack your own lunch for an Easter picnic at Groff’s Grove.

The Easter Bunny Train pulls into the station April 6th, 7th and 8th. On Friday, five trains run on the hour between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and again at 6 p.m. Adult fares (age 12+) are $14, Child fares (ages 3-11) are $9 and Toddler fares (under 3) are $3. Tickets can be pre-purchased at www.StrasburgRailRoad.com or by calling 717-687-7522. Tickets can also be purchased at the ticket window.

As one of Pennsylvania’s leading family attractions, Strasburg Rail Road is known for its picturesque ride through Lancaster County’s farmland. Traveling past more than 1,000 acres of land, the ride provides one of the best views the county has to offer.

What: Easter Bunny Train
When: Friday April 6th
Saturday April 7th
Easter Sunday, April 8th
Trains depart hourly from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Where: Strasburg Rail Road, Rt. 741 East, Strasburg, Pa 17579-0096
For advanced tickets, go to www.StrasburgRailRoad.com or call (717) 687-7522.

‘Baskets, Please’ Ticket Taker Is All Ears As Strasburg Rail Road Passengers Get A Visit From The Easter Bunny
By Madelyn Pennino
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

Thousands of people - a few of them with rabbit ears on top of their heads - descended on the platform of Strasburg Rail Road Easter Sunday to celebrate the holiday with a short train ride through the countryside. Once again, the Easter Bunny was on hand and doling out animal-shaped lollipops to the train’s youngest passengers. Four-year-old Austin Westlehgn of Maine is vacationing in Lancaster County with his parents, Dwight and Vicky Westlehgn, and his 2-year-old sister, Kelsey Rose. Austin said he is fascinated by trains and was thankful for his green lollipop. “This ride is fun,” he said. “It’s good, and green is my favorite color.” Vicky Westlehgn said Austin has been talking about taking a Strasburg train ride for days. “He really wanted to ride the train,” she said. “We just had to do it.” As mid-day temperatures climbed into the 70s, passengers aboard a noon train heading from Strasburg to Paradise said they couldn’t have asked for better weather. Jeff Grablow of New Jersey said he and his family decided to do something special for Easter this year. “This is something different,” Grablow said. “Riding a train makes you feel like a kid again.” His wife, Danielle, said she hopes her children remember their Easter train ride. “That’s why we did it … for the kids,” she said. Their 10-year-old son, Jeffrey, and 4-year-old daughter, Kayla, thought the train ride was neat. “It’s cool,” Jeffrey said. “We get to see a lot of different things and the Easter Bunny too.” Easter weekend has traditionally been a busy time for Strasburg Rail Road, according to train conductor Joe Wells. Wells, of Neffsville, has been a conductor with the railroad for 31 years. The Easter Bunny has visited train riders on Easter since Strasburg Rail Road opened in 1959. “It’s a wonderful time,” Wells said. “(The Easter Bunny) brings joy to people from all over the world. Everyone enjoys themselves.” Wells said about 3,000 people visited the railroad Saturday. The Easter Bunny, dressed in a blue pin-stripped railroad jumpsuit, strolled through various trains throughout the day Sunday, waving to children and handing out sweets. Mrs. McGreggor, a friend of Peter Cottontail, accompanied the Easter Bunny and wished passengers a happy holiday. Hopton and Lystra Campbell of New Jersey are visiting Lancaster County with their 6-year-old son, Mark. Mark was ecstatic about riding the train and soaked in the railroad atmosphere. “I think this is good,” Mark said. “It’s nice and smooth, and the seats are so green and nice.” Mark’s father said the family has visited Lancaster County several times. “It’s quiet and peaceful, and we can do a lot of shopping,” Campbell said.

To read the entire article, please visit Lancaster Online.

Strasburg Rail Road Restorers Even Do Facelifts – Just Ask Thomas
By Cindy Hummel
Lancaster New Era

The Strasburg Rail Road workshops can now add celebrity facelifts to their list of accomplishments. Thomas the Tank Engine, based on the Rev. W. Awdry’s series of children’s books, recently underwent major eye changes to get ready for a new season at the Strasburg Rail Road, along Route 741 east of Strasburg.

“Day Out With Thomas” events in Strasburg this year will take place June 17-25, Sept. 16-24 and Dec. 1-3. Thomas also travels up and down the East Coast to appear at other events.

England was the first to have a full-size steam engine rendition of Thomas. In 1998, the Strasburg Rail Road craftsmen created the first full-size American Thomas that could pull coaches full of fans. But those fans kept asking the same questions, according to the railroad’s Kelly Anderson: “Why isn’t he looking at me?” Hence, the facelift.

Throughout the winter, shop workers replaced the stationary, painted-on eyes with round, expressive eyes that move around, Anderson said.
But a recent tour of the workshops revealed more than Thomas’ new and improved face standing upright against the table.

Other shop tour highlights include Engine No. 475, a locomotive with a rare wheel alignment: four wheels in the front and eight toward the back. Strasburg Rail Road purchased the locomotive, which last ran in 1956, in 1991 and spent two years restoring it.

Railroad museums from across the county send their cars to Strasburg for restoration work, which can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, Anderson said.

Hollywood also has called on Strasburg workers. For the 1999 movie “Wild, Wild West” starring Will Smith, a passenger car from the B&O Museum was shipped here to be transformed into a flashy, 1857 era car. Strasburg workers also restored a car for the 1969 movie “Hello Dolly,” starring Barbra Streisand. The railroad also was used in scenes from the 2000 movie “Thomas and the Magic Railroad.”

Workers do their restorations in two shops: one for locomotives and the other for passenger cars. They reuse as much of the original car as possible, Anderson said. When seats, light fixtures or inlay wood cannot be salvaged, workers can either use their supply of extra salvaged parts or recreate them to the tiniest detail. Passenger cars can take up to 13,000 man-hours to restore. The process includes extensive research to learn exactly how the car would have looked new.

Although the railroad uses vintage machines for most restoration, it has made a concession to modern times: a computerized lathe that not only cuts accurately, but also lowers costs. The newest shop expansion is a drive-through of sorts, with tracks that that allow cars and engines to drive in and out. Then new shop was scheduled to go into service March 31.

Asked why Strasburg’s shops are chosen for restoration projects over other shops, Anderson replied, “We are the best.” He pointed out that the railroad has skilled workers and little turnover. “It is a job and a hobby all rolled into one,” 40-year employee Glen Lefever said.

The 2006 railroad season officially kicked off April1. The first special event will be the Easter Bunny train April 14-16. Behind-the-scene tours of the shops are $12 with a ticket stub from the train ride or $20 for visitors who do not ride the train. Tours begin at noon on all days that the trains are running. Shop tours are offered seven days a week. The tours are not recommended for toddlers.

To read the entire article, please visit Lancaster Online.