The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Festive rail fun is back on track
The Polar Express has rolled back in to Brechin – and it was a magical weekend for passengers on the famous festive train. Brechin’s award-winning Caledonian Railway is running the movie-themed experience for the second time. In 2021, the volunteer-run attraction became Scotland’s first railway to operate fun-filled services based around the hit 2004 animation starring Tom Hanks.
More than 3,500 golden tickets were snapped up for the train journey between Brechin and Bridge of Dun, but this year is bigger and better.
Over five weekends in the run-up to Christmas, the railway’s carriages will haul around 10,000 visitors – and it is a sell-out.
The lucky passengers’ fun starts on the platform of historic Brechin Station before boarding the train for the Polar trip.
All ages get into the spirit of the movie by dressing in pyjamas and they are treated to hot chocolate, dancing chefs and storytelling, as well as the sight of Santa making his way through the train.
The Angus storms gave the Caley Railway teams some nervous moments in the lead-up to Saturday’s first services steaming out of Brechin station, but chairman Jon Gill said it had got off to a great start, adding: “The volunteers worked incredibly hard to make sure it went ahead despite the weather.”
The Polar Express full-house will double the railway’s passenger figure for the year as it operated on only around half of its normal weekends as the railway continued the recovery from Covid.
However, it was able to get its other big favourite back in action with a series of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends weekends .