Operation North Pole (ONP) is a volunteer-based public
charity. ONP works with Chicago’s major children’s hospitals,
providing a day of fun and fantasy for families who have
a child battling a life threatening illness by hosting
a fantasy trip to the North Pole. The magical experience
includes, breakfast, a festive train ride to the North
Pole, a visit with Santa, winter wonderland fun, entertainment,
treats, personal wish list gifts, and much more! It's
ONP's goal to provide these families an unforgettable
experience amidst very challenging times.
Kato
USA has partnered with Operation North Pole to bring
this special Christmas Train - a replica of the real
life Christmas Train that was operated in 2015 to life
as a means to support ONP's goal of spreading the magic
of the holidays. To that end a portion of the proceeds
from every sale of an Operation North Pole Christmas
Train Set goes towards this charitable venture to help
fund the chartering of this yearly train!
Learn
more about Operation North Pole and their amazing efforts
by visiting www.operationnorthpole.org
Each
year ONP charters a special Metra train, designing special
vinyl wraps that adorn both the outside and the insides
of the cars. Each years' design is unique, making each
train a festive and colorful display. This train runs
on the Union Pacific Northwest Line of the Chicago Metra
commuter service, operating not only as a special charter
train but remaining in service for a period after the
Christmas Train event as rolling billboard to spread
awareness of ONP and their goals.
The
modern Nippon Sharyo-built Gallery Bi-Level is based
off of the same concept as the original Santa Fe “El
Capitan” Bi-level design concept, whose success went
on to inspire such double decker cars as Amtrak’s Superliners
and the Bombardier Bi-Level car which is also used in
commuter service. Today, gallery Bi-Level cars such
as those used by the Chicago Metra commuter service
can be seen operating in several states across the United
States, such as Virginia and California.
