The Trains at NorthPark Make Their Triumphant Return for the 2022 Holiday Season

All Aboard

BY Caitlin Clark // 11.29.22

photography Bret Redman

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Ronald McDonald and Vasco Castaneda, the 2022 honorary kid conductor. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Lindsay Jacaman, Holly Krug, Ronald McDonald, Eduardo Castaneda, Vasco Castaneda, Antuane Gonzalez, Jill Cumnock, Pat Staudt (Photo by Bret Redman)

Ronald McDonald and Vasco Castaneda, the 2022 honorary kid conductor for the Trains at NorthPark. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Ronald McDonald and Vasco Castaneda (Photo by Bret Redman)

Samantha Wortley and Marjon Henderson (Photo by Bret Redman)

The trains in action. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Guests at the 2022 opening of the Trains at NorthPark. (Photo by Bret Redman)

The Trains at NorthPark 2022 event chairs Lindsay Jacaman and Holly Krug. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Holly Krug, Ronald McDonald, Lindsay Jacaman (Photo by Bret Redman)

Kris and Jill Cumnock, CEO of the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. (Photo by Bret Redman)

The Trains at NorthPark in action. (Photo by Bret Redman)

The Hainsfurther family at the 2022 opening of the Trains at NorthPark. (Photo by Bret Redman)

The Trains at NorthPark Ribbon Cutting (Photo by Bret Redman)

The Krug and Jacaman families. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Antuane Gonzalez and Vasco Castaneda (Photo by Bret Redman)

The Jacaman at the Trains at NorthPark. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Holly Krug and Lindsay Jacaman (Photo by Bret Redman)

The Krug family at the Trains at NorthPark 2022. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Holly Krug, Lindsay Jacaman, Ronald McDonald, Jill Cumnock, Pat Staudt (Photo by Bret Redman)

Ronald McDonald with Eduardo Castaneda, Vasco Castaneda and Antuane Gonzalez (Photo by Bret Redman)

Vasco Castaneda and friend at the 2022 Trains at NorthPark. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Ronald McDonald and Vasco Castaneda, the 2022 honorary kid conductor. (Photo by Bret Redman)

Even for the non-ferroequinologists of the world, the Trains at NorthPark are a sight to see. For 35 years, the largest miniature train exhibit in Texas has delighted with 1,600 feet of track guiding its charming railcars from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge to the Grand Canyon to Times Square in New York City. The whimsical journey features familiar local landmarks, including The Perot Museum, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and Fair Park.

But there’s more than meets the eye at this stalwart holiday attraction. Each year, hundreds of customized railcars, engines, and cabooses hit the tracks in support of The Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, a regional branch of the American nonprofit created to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. Since launching in 1987, the Trains at NorthPark have raised more than $18 million for RMHD.

24. Trains at NorthPark – girl watching – Bret Redman — Guests at the 2022 opening of the Trains at NorthPark.

“The Trains at NorthPark is such an important part of our year at Ronald McDonald House Dallas,” says Jill Cumnock, CEO of the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. “We are once again operating at pre-Covid capacity, but our expenses have risen over the last six months because of surging electricity and utility costs. And don’t forget, RMHD provides our services free of charge. Everyone who buys a ticket, sponsors, purchases a railcar, or volunteers at the Trains at NorthPark makes a real difference in helping to defray these costs.”

Discover the magic on the second level of NorthPark, between Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and learn more at thetrainsatnorthpark.com. Honorary Chairs for the 2022 season are Cate and Jeremy Ford and Event Chairs are Lindsay Jacaman and Holly Krug. Presented by Bank of Texas, The Trains at NorthPark will run for seven weeks — from November 12 through Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.