“Toot, toot!” and “Ding, Ding!” as the train arrived at the Kutztown Train Station on Sunday, for the second day of the Easter Bunny Train.
Similar to what one might expect to see in the days of old, the Kutztown Train Station was a hopping place as people crowded inside to purchase train tickets and lined up outside the diesel locomotive and three cabooses, waiting for Jim Schlegel, Kutztown, to announce, “All aboard!”
“We’re keeping traffic on the railroad from Kutztown to Topton,” said Schlegel. “I enjoy doing this stuff. I have for years. I used to be a conductor for the Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad on the weekends. I do it as a volunteer. It’s just a great experience for me, it’s fun.”
Mike Bast, President of the Allentown and Auburn Railroad, was encouraged to run the train by the Kutztown Bicentennial Committee and the Kutztown Community Partnership, as part of the celebration of Kutztown’s 200th anniversary.
“Our favorite part is the Easter Bunny. Everybody has responded very well. We’ve had a lot of good times with the kids. Everyone’s having a good time,” said Bast.
The Easter Bunny train traveled three miles to Topton and back. The 40 minute trip included a visit with the Easter Bunny on the train and chocolate bunny treats. The train ran March 28 and 29 and will run again April 4.
“Most of our trips have been sold out or slightly over sold out,” said Bast. “I think it’s been a very good turnout. We’ve had basically sold out trains for the past two days. Things have been going really well.”
The Easter Bunny Train will run again on April 4, each hour, on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Many of the children were eager to meet the Easter Bunny, receiving hugs and posing for photos.
Chase DeLong, 3, Kutztown, was among those who posed with the Easter Bunny while Greg DeLong took his photo.
“Our favorite part was the train ride itself,” said Greg.
Chase was too excited to stand still for too long. He was very interested about the train itself.
Nancy Brooks, Main Street Manager, Kutztown Community Partnership, said, “The ride was wonderful. We’re just so excited that they’re bringing something like this to Kutztown.”
“It brings history on our Bicentennial year, it brings opportunity for people to gather and be a community and go out and do fun things,” said Brooks. “There are multiple rides that are going to take place throughout the year.”
Future train rides include a firefly train July 11, a barbecue run Aug. 29 and a pumpkin train and a fall foliage expedition in the fall. All of the trips will board at the Kutztown railroad station and will include a two-way trip to Topton.
According to the event release by Reno Unger, “the railroad company itself evolved slowly in the mind of Bast. At age 11, he began volunteering and working on the train equipment owned by the Reading Company Technical and Historical Society. At age 15, he became the owner of a Reading Railroad caboose. Currently, at age 34, his company owns two locomotives, two passenger cars, four cabooses and a gondola car. He plans to renovate all the rolling stock and put it in the business of ferrying passengers on pleasure runs. Once established, he also hopes to begin hauling freight from Kutztown to Topton and from there, through Conrail, to the world.”
“By this summer, the locomotive will sport a new paint job and one of the passenger cars will be renovated inside and out. The car was owned by one of the more upscale lines and was beautifully furnished with mahogany interiors and interior finish. Bast and crew plan to refinish and repaint the interior, renovate the outside, reupholster the seats, replace windows and carpet in time for the summer and fall excursions,” according to the event release. “The Allentown and Auburn Railroad Company was first chartered in the early 1800s to haul freight between the two communities. A good bit of layout and stone work was done through the countryside before the company lost its funding and folded. The assets were eventually acquired by the Reading Railroad before ending up in the ownership of Bast and his partner, Peter Cole, of Andover, New Jersey. The Central Pennsylvania Rail Corporation, also owned by the two, does car and locomotive repair.”
Tickets for the Easter Bunny train can me purchased in advance by calling 570-778-7531. Free for children under the age of 3. Visit www.allnrr.com and on facebook at Allentown Auburn RR.
