As dawn breaks in the east, volunteers are already well underway preparing for a busy day on the road's annual Southern California Christmas Train. Snacks need to be stocked in the three cars that will be carrying local disadvantaged children, decorations adjusted and lit, balloons inflated for the balloon sculpters, costumes donned, sound systems readied, goodie bags prepared (BNSF teddy bears!) and, of course, all the standard railroad safety checks performed. In just a few hours, the first trainload of excited children and their parents will be climbing nearby Cajon Pass - for most, their first time aboard a train. And the entire process will be repeated in the afternoon on this December 17, 2011, Saturday. Everyone riding the train today will leave with a smile - including the crew!
