Toys for Tots train will chug through Westmoreland communities to collect gifts

Railcar operators were overwhelmed with the amount of support last year for their annual Toys for Tots collection along the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad line.

Organizer John Gonder said just four railcars participated in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic wore on but the amount of donations only grew.

“We had so many people come out … that we had to call for trucks to come pick the stuff up,” he said.

On Nov. 13, the railcar enthusiasts will make the 40-mile trek from East Huntingdon to Hempfield in an effort to help get toys under Christmas trees for children in need. Gonder said there are 19 railcars registered for the sixth year. Stops are planned at several communities along the rail line collecting new, unwrapped toys that members of the North American Railcar Operators Association direct to a local Marine Toys for Tots program.

Despite the pandemic, Gonder said last year was the best since starting the event in 2016. The group had to call for trucks to pick up donations three times last year. They collected $2,800 and 800 toys, he said.

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

The caravan will depart the Savage Intermodal Terminal in East Huntingdon at 8 a.m. and stop in Mt. Pleasant at the Route 31 crossing 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 10:45.

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 (891 N. Greengate Road) 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.