Take a ride on the North Pole Express

FINDLAY – The North Pole Express is back chugging around the Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc. site for the holidays. The 24th season is being celebrated with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights, more than 180 decorated Christmas trees and half-mile rides on a quarter-scale train. "We're one of the few attractions in Ohio that run train rides," said Jim Arras, a member of the group who volunteers his time to help out at the train site. "I know we're the only quarter-scale steam in Ohio." "And Christmas lights, that combination," Treasurer Steve Wilch added. The event has been popular since its beginning back in 2001. But the past several years have been the best ever for the North Pole Express, they said. Two years ago they set a record with 11,000 riders for the month-long event. "We average close to 10,000 people a year. Over the last three or four years, we're close to 10,000 people average," said Wilch. This is also the fifth year the train has been included on the Ohio Holiday Lights Trail. "Once we got on that, that's when our ridership really started going up," Arras said. "We're drawing people from 3, 3½ hours away." Jim Gabriel is another volunteer who usually works on the platform during events to make sure people get on and off the train safely. "I get an opportunity to talk to a lot of these people while we're waiting for the trains to arrive, and a number of them tell me that they are actually from the Cleveland area. And they're following the light trail, and they have picked the North Pole Express as one of their events to see when they come to Northwest Ohio," he said. There are a total of 79 different light displays on this year's list, he said. NWORRP is ranked 48th. "So if you were to go out and just follow the trail, display after display after display, you could spend four weeks wandering around here seeing these places," Gabriel said. NWORRP, located at 12505 County Road 99, is running on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights through Jan. 4. Hours are 5:30-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Sundays. The attraction will be closed on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. In the beginning, the holiday event was sparse with activities, Arras said. "We didn't have electric out here. We powered everything off of generators. We ran generators around the track to power everything. And there wasn't really grass, it was mud," he laughed. Now, when the lights are on at night, the place looks magical. If you ride the train, there are very few dark spots since there are lights and displays on both sides of the tracks. But installing them takes several months. Gabriel said he starts on the larger outside ones in September. A few of the displays are restored every year. "Some are kind of showing their age so they get pulled out of circulation, get restored, then go back in the following year which we have enough stuff now we can do that," said Arras. In addition to buying displays, the nonprofit gets donations from the public. Gabriel estimates there are over 300,000 lights both indoor and out. A large train display on the east side of the property probably has 1,500 lights alone, and that guess could be low. Almost all of the outside lights and many inside have been switched to LED bulbs which save on energy and provide a brighter glow. Following the ride, visitors can stop in the engine barn which holds more than 180 decorated Christmas trees ranging from knee high to 12 feet. There are inflatables, tables and chairs for a snack break and a special spot to take pictures with Santa. The decorating starts in early October. There is an elf scavenger hunt that features 17 toy elves hidden in the trees, along with twin elves and the Grinch. Visitors are invited to find them all, then fill out a form and deposit it in Santa's mailbox. Weekly drawings are held. At the end of the season, the grand prize "golden ticket" drawing will be held. Top prize is a family pass to ride the trains throughout 2026. The hunt can take anywhere from about 30 minutes to an hour. Wilch's wife, Sandy, coordinates the hunt, and she and Gabriel's wife, Barbara, coordinate all of the tree trimming. The displays and trees are all put up by volunteers. They also operate the event which takes 12-14 people a night. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger. Tickets can be purchased upon arrival in the gift shop/museum. There will be no presale tickets sold. Parking is free. Train riders should dress for the weather. The museum also houses a model train display that is decorated for the holidays. Established in 1998 as a 501c3 nonprofit, NWORRP relies on volunteers, proceeds from train operations and special programs, and donations from rail fans to operate, maintain and improve the museum and its offerings. The North Pole Express is the group's largest fundraiser. The Hancock County Chamber of Commerce is a supporter and provides the organization with an advertising grant, while the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation also supports the nonprofit and some of its events.