By Gregory Grice III

On December 14, CTrail operated the first-ever Hartford Line Toys for Tots Train as part of CTtransit’s Stuff-a-Bus initiative. The train, led by north-facing CTrail (CTDX) P40BH 6703 sporting a Toys for Tots logo on the nose, ran from New Haven to Hartford, Conn., stopping at stations along the line to collect donations. At Berlin Station, Santa Claus and Kensington Fire Rescue met the train to hand off their contributions. Upon arrival in Hartford, the toys collected were transferred to CTtransit’s dedicated bus to be brought to the Toys for Tots distribution warehouse.

This successful event was made possible through the support of Herzog (Transit America Services Inc.), the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the New Haven Marines Toys for Tots Foundation, CTtransit, Kensington Fire Rescue, Metro-North Railroad, Amtrak, and many others. CTrail looks forward to next year, with plans to expand the event and make an even greater impact.

Gregory Grice III is a Transportation Manager for CTrail.