Royal Gorge Railway. Photo by Mark Greksa

CANON CITY, CO–(Marketwire — August 6, 2009) — When the snow begins to fall, Colorado’s Royal Gorge Route Railroad mag­i­cally becomes The Santa Express, a metic­u­lously restored series of mid-century loco­mo­tives adorned in hol­i­day décor and brim­ming with hol­i­day spirit while one very spe­cial guest is on board: Santa Claus.

Tickets sell out quickly each year and are on sale now at the Historic Santa Fe Depot, the Royal Gorge Welcome Center and online at www.royalgorgeroute.com, accord­ing to Mark Greksa, owner of Royal Gorge Route Railroad.

“The Santa Express is a train ride like none other,” said Greksa. “Royal Gorge Route Railroad’s his­toric cars pos­sess a nos­tal­gic, cozy feel­ing that is per­fectly suited for hol­i­day enter­tain­ing. When guests board The Santa Express, they are absolutely immersed in the moment and you can feel the excite­ment of antic­i­pa­tion that they will soon meet St. Nick.”

The 1.5-hour train-ride begins at the Santa Fe Depot and trav­els along the Arkansas River through the rugged, 1,000-foot deep Royal Gorge to the North Pole and back. This year, it runs every Friday and Saturday from November 27 through December 26 at 6:30 p.m. and costs $19 per child, 3 — 12 years old, and $29 per adult. When the Santa Express is not occu­py­ing the rails, coach, gourmet lunch or din­ner, wine tast­ings, vista dome and mys­tery train ser­vice con­tin­ues to run.

The Santa Express is a win­ter won­der­land, dec­o­rated in hol­i­day style, where chil­dren are encour­aged to wear cozy paja­mas and relax with fam­ily and friends while they sip home­made cocoa and lis­ten to clas­sic hol­i­day sto­ries read by Santa’s elves. Large plate-glass win­dows allow pas­sen­gers to enjoy the Rocky Mountain-beauty of the Royal Gorge on the way to the North Pole, which is fit­tingly dec­o­rated like a true Christmas town, bedecked with hol­i­day lights and decor for its most famous res­i­dent — Santa Claus.

Once Santa boards the train at the North Pole, chil­dren anx­iously await their turn to sit with him, share their hol­i­day wish list and receive their very spe­cial Santa Train gift — from Kris Kringle himself.

About the Royal Gorge Route Railroad

Since 1879, trav­el­ers from around the world have made the jour­ney to Cañon City, Colorado to expe­ri­ence the train that fol­lows the rails on a 24-mile roundtrip through the spec­tac­u­lar Royal Gorge.

More than 100,000 pas­sen­gers expe­ri­ence the nat­ural beauty of the Royal Gorge each year aboard Colorado’s finest scenic rail­road while enjoy­ing the com­fort and charm of the care­fully restored Historic Royal Gorge Route Railroad cars.

Coach, glass-topped vista dome cars, wine tast­ings, gourmet lunch or din­ner and mur­der mys­tery train ser­vice pro­vide many ways for pas­sen­gers to enjoy the charm of clas­sic train travel, the dra­matic views of the Royal Gorge and often, a gourmet meal pre­pared by Chef Quinton Meddles.

Tickets are avail­able online at www.royalgorgeroute.com, the Royal Gorge Welcome Center or at the Historic Santa Fe Depot located at 401 Water Street in Cañon City where trav­el­ers will also dis­cover the finest rail­road gift shop in Colorado, fea­tur­ing some of the most beloved and hard-to-find rail­road gifts and apparel.

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2. Santa’s Secret… He Loves a Good Train Ride!
3. Santa returns to John Hancock Observatory for the best Holiday High in Chicago
4. What’s New in Colorado for Travelers In 2010
5. 28th Annual Holiday Magic Festival Lights Up Brookfield Zoo