Santa Train 2015
Soo Line 1003 will be fired-up and operate into Hartford, WI on Hartford’s Christmas Parade day. The locomotive will be downtown at Main St. between Noon and 3:00 p.m. for children and parents to visit Santa Claus in his restored caboose. The Christmas parade will begin at 3:00 p.m.
The date is Saturday, November 14, 2015.
If you are attending Trainfest in Milwaukee, why not make a stop into Hartford, before or after, to visit one of the nation’s last few operating steam locomotives!
1003 Test Runs – November 9, 2014
A full day of test runs allowed scrutiny of 1003’s running gear and performance. In the late afternoon, 1003 returned successfully to its berth in the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford.
Santa Train – November 8, 2014
On Saturday, November 8, 2014, Soo Line 1003 returned to service providing a noticeable presence in downtown Hartford, Wisconsin. The appearance was in conjunction with Hartford’s spectacular Christmas parade.
After 1003 arrived at Noon, 600 children and parents visited Santa who resided in a warm Milwaukee road caboose with the coal stove working hard on this cold day.
The trip was sponsored by Hartford Finishing Inc., DJS Manufacturing, Laufer Trucking Inc., Helgeson, Don Crego DDS, Scoop DeVille and the Americinn of Hartford. Special thanks also to the Wisconsin and Southern railroad and the Hartford Business Improvement District.
Toys for Tots – Nov. 3, 2012
On Saturday, November 3, 2012, the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association ran a “Whistle Stop Santa Appearance” train from Milton to Middleton, Wisconsin, with stops in Edgerton, Stoughton, McFarland and Madison. The trip was run in conjunction with Toys for Tots Organization, Marine Corps, University of Wisconsin Athletics and the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad.
Joined by two United States Marines and four UW football players, volunteers collected a huge amount of gifts for the Toys for Tots program from the hundreds of people came out to see the train. We thank everyone who participated and enjoyed this event.
