Wheatland Express Christmas Train - All Aboard For a Family Train Ride

Last Saturday, my family boarded the Wheatland Express Christmas Train. The Express Train chugs along from Wakaw to Cudworth and back and December has Holiday-Themed Train rides for the family. It was the perfect weekend to go. It was chilly but the last snow added to the beauty of the season. Everything was blanketed by sparkly snow. Train rides are basically a dream come true for my son – but add in dancing elves and Santa and my son is extremely happy. This trip was with my parents, sister, son, and my son’s best friend. We thought he would have more fun if he had his friend with him.

The train ride started in Wakaw. I drove up with the two kids. My son complained the entire drive that he was bored and his friend was VERY worried that we would be late and the train would leave without us. Personally, I thought the drive went quickly and had some beautiful Saskatchewan scenery! The train left at noon but it started boarding at 11. We made it with half an hour to spare. As we got onto the train, they told us Santa would be joining us on our trip and the kids were very happy to hear this.

We had plenty of room to get comfy (and room to put all that extra stuff that moms bring with them that aren’t always needed.) There was a bar/refreshment area on the car with us and we had ordered some meals ahead of time. My son declared himself STARVING so we were happy the meals were coming, but he was mostly just starving for cookies.

Cheers (featuring the Christmas Puppy and Skye.)

The kids LOVED the Grinch juice offered on the train. My son saw it and assumed it was Elf Juice. He was close. The train ride also came with a free hot chocolate and cookie. As we sat and ate, the train had entertainment from the elves. They had a sing-along and storytime. The train stopped on the way to pick up Santa. I’m not sure where he came from but all the children were excited to see him walk by.

Photo by my son.

My son took this photo of Santa on the way by and he was so proud of himself! (For good reason! The photo is awesome!) They couldn’t wait until he was done setting up to go meet him. Luckily, we had lunch coming to distract them until he was all set up.

The kids really loved the sing-along as well. They now know most of the holiday songs and had fun singing along with the elves.

As we went along the track, they delivered the hot chocolate and sugar cookies to the tables. We also got cookies with our meals so we were set for International Cookie Day.

The wonderful thing about the train is they encourage us to get up and explore. They had a bar car at the one end where Santa was set up, and they had a gift shop at the other end. There were places to get drinks along the way as well. The setup was perfect and we all loved having the chance to get up and stretch our legs. Although, my son made it his mission every time to run as fast as he could through the train. I had to have a hand in his hand most of the time.

Photo by Erin McCrea

They LOVED meeting Santa Clause. He took separate photos with each of them and asked them both what they wanted for Christmas. He made time to talk to each and every kid on the train and it made the experience even better.

Photo by Erin McCrea

The kids were very excited to sit on the spinning spools in the bar car. They skipped the drinks but made sure to have a couple of spins while they enjoyed the view.

Photo by Erin McCrea

The train stopped at Cudworth before turning around. We had some time to get off the train and stretch our legs. It was chilly, but it was a good idea for the kids. My son was getting a bit antsy by that point and needed to run around in the snow.

Photo by Erin McCrea

Santa got off the train on the way back. I’m not sure why he didn’t take the entire ride with us – I guess he had some work to do at the North Pole. Mrs. Claus stayed on the entire journey. As Santa walked down the train one more time, my son gave him a big hug goodbye. He was sad to see Santa go but very happy to spend time with him.

Photo by Erin McCrea

Our trip back to Wakaw included more snacking on delicious food and more shows from the elves. The two little ones loved the last storytime and watched the entire thing.

We had a wonderful trip. We all went in our festive outfits (and matched will with the helpers on the train.) There was somebody around to offer help and answer questions. From the entertainment to the people on the train, to the food and drinks, to the train: it was a great journey and perfect to give us some festive fun. It was so fun to see all the people of all ages on the train having a great time.

It was the perfect day out of town and the perfect Christmas activity. I’d like to thank my mom for this wonderful event!