Toys for Tots annual Westmoreland train collection hopes for a big haul this year

Railcar enthusiasts plan to do their part this year to help get toys under Christmas trees for children in need.

The annual 40-mile caravan collecting items for Toys for Tots along the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad line from East Huntingdon to Hempfield will take place Nov. 14.

“It’s more important than ever this year because our need has grown,” said organizer John Gonder.

About a dozen railcars are set to participate next weekend with stops planned at several communities along the rail line, including Hunker, Youngwood and Scottdale. It’s the fifth year for the collection of monetary donations and new, unwrapped toys that members of the North American Railcar Operators Association direct to a local Marine Toys for Tots program.

The group has collected 3,100 toys and $14,562 since starting the annual event in 2016, said Gonder, a Ruffs Dale resident and association member.

“Every year it gets bigger,” he said. “It’s very gratifying to see that the number of people that come out to watch us and bring toys — it grows every year.”

Gonder hopes next Saturday’s ride will continue that trend despite the coronavirus pandemic. Those in the rail cars will be wearing masks and gloves when picking up donations.

Donors can stop the caravan at any railroad crossing. Railcars are small cabs once used by railroad companies to inspect and maintain lines.

The Westmoreland County Marine Toys for Tots program won’t know until the end of November how many children are in need of toys this year, said local coordinating officer Doug Hurst. But they’re preparing for a lot of extra need.

“I don’t know what this year’s going to bring with everything going on,” he said.

Millions of Pennsylvanians applied for unemployment assistance this year as state officials enacted restrictions on businesses that forced closures and layoffs. The state’s unemployment rate was 15.6% in April and dropped to 10.3% in August as restrictions were loosened during the summer, according to Department of Labor & Industry statistics.

In Westmoreland County, about 5,600 people remained out of work and 732 new claims were made for the week ending Oct. 31, according to department data.

Gonder said his group appreciates the continued generosity in Westmoreland County over the last few years. Now, the weather is a different story.

“All we ask for this time of year is that it’s dry,” he said laughing. “We’ve had some really bad weather trips.”

The caravan will depart the Savage Intermodal Terminal in East Huntingdon at 8 a.m. and stop in Mt. Pleasant at 8:30 a.m.

The rail line runs along Jacobs Creek and the Westmoreland-Fayette border and will take the caravan into Bridgeport, Everson, Scottdale, Tarrs, Ruffs Dale, Hunker and New Stanton. The group estimates they will be in Scottdale at 10:05 a.m. and Hunker at 10:40.

The rail line runs parallel for a time to Interstate 70 and then alongside Route 119 and the Five Star Trail. They hope to pull into Youngwood at 11:40 a.m.

The line crosses over Route 119 near South Greensburg and heads toward Greengate Center where the caravan will make an extended stop near Aroma Joe’s at 12:45 p.m. before heading back south. They expect to be back in Youngwood around 2 p.m. and in Scottdale an hour later. The journey should wrap up around 4:30 p.m.

All times are approximate.