HEBER CITY -- "Next stop: the North Pole."
"Did he say the North Pole?" squealed a young boy seated on his mother's lap as the conductor made his way up the aisle of the crowded passenger car."That's what he said," his mother replied.
Steam locomotive No. 618 chugged away from the Heber Valley Railroad station as the train whistle bellowed into the blackened sky. Wisps of steam drifted through the chilly air outside the vintage coach. City lights flickered in the distance.
Friendly elves with bells jangling from their red-and-green costumes wished passengers a "Merry Christmas" and asked children what Santa Claus might bring them. Amid chatter of greeting the Jolly Old Elf, families settled into their seats for a narration of "The Polar Express," the book that spirited them aboard the train in the first place.
The pages of Chris Van Allsburg's popular Christmas story came alive as a member of the Heber Valley Arts Council read how a magical train ride to the North Pole turned a young boy's doubt into a lifelong belief in Santa Claus.
It wasn't long before the old locomotive hissed and creaked to a stop somewhere in Heber Valley. There, next to the steam-covered tracks, stood a white pole striped with red ribbon. Santa waved and boarded the train while two anxious girls plotted for his arrival.
"We're going to ask him to sit with us. That's what we've been planning," they said.
Santa merrily made his way up and down the train cars, exacting smiles from believers and nonbelievers alike. There was no time to sit this night.
And with a twinkle in his eye and hearty "Ho, ho, ho," he was gone.
On the return trip, passengers sipped hot chocolate. The elves shared jokes and led a Christmas carol sing-along.
Q: What's Tarzan's favorite Christmas song?
A: Jungle Bells.
So went the Heber Valley Railroad's maiden venture to the North Pole.
"It's such a neat idea. I think it's delightful. What a great concept," said Wisconsin resident Sylvia Dieffenbach, who was accompanied by her 4-year-old son, Michael. "He was pretty excited. This was his first train ride."
It also was a first for the railroad.
"We've never done anything like this before," said Heber Valley Executive Director Craig Lacey, who along with his wife, Druann, picked up the idea at a railroad convention in South Dakota just three weeks ago. "We started to think how we could make it work in Heber Valley. We thought we could re-create the whole story."
The show was a hard sell for railroad staffers, who weren't sure it could be pulled off in a such a short time, he said.
"We're having fun. It's more fun than we bargained for," said Idaho Falls resident Les Moore, who spontaneously joined the elves to lead Christmas songs.
He and his wife, Linda, were on a weeklong getaway in nearby Park City. "We wish our kids were here because it's a great experience for the children."
The North Pole run apparently wasn't a tough sell with the public.
With little advertising, the railroad sold out trips planned for the next three Friday nights. Tickets for two additional dates also were quickly snapped up, as were overnight packages at Holiday Inn Express in Heber City.
"It's just been amazing," Lace said.
Two more dates, Dec. 17 and Dec. 21, might be added to the schedule to meet the demand.
"It's a good way to start off the Christmas season," Linda Moore said.
For more information, call the Heber Valley Railroad at 1-435-654-5601 or 581-9980 in Salt Lake City.