Yes, it’s that time of year. It’s the time when I take my camera gear and capture the CPKC Holiday Train and all its beautiful lights and majestic trim. Don’t even say a word about Halloween not arriving yet. As far as I’m concerned, I’m on a countdown and I’m not missing anything.
And this year, I’ve got a soundtrack for it.
In the first decade of the Holiday Train’s existence, back when it was just the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train, the company sold a compact disc to accompany the musical performances. I think I currently possess the complete run of Holiday Train CD’s, and if I’m wrong, someone will alert me to the error and I will fix.
The first one I have is from 2002, it’s called On The Holiday Train. It’s a single CD and was manufactured with a plastic jewel case. The ten songs on the CD are a mix of traditional favorites like “The First Noel” and “Angels We Have Heard On High,” along with the Canadian Christmas classic “The Huron Carol,” and a few contemporary (and Holiday Train themed) songs.
This was a partnership with a touring group called the Huron Carole, who have performed throughout Canada and still entertain people today. More information on the Huron Carole is accessible at this link.
Oh, you can tell those are Canadian performers. Those four-point coats from the Hudson’s Bay Company are as distinctive as anything.
Let’s now move to 2005.
This one is called In Harmony With Your Community: Music of the CPR Holiday Train 2005.
This CD was produced in a cardboard gatefold Digipak, and contains 13 songs, a booklet, and a map of the Holiday Train’s 2005 scheduled stops. It’s a great time capsule that shows how the train evolved in just a few short years, and reconfirms its connection as a fundraiser for food insecurity.
And this disc has an incredible folk track from John Gorka, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Incredible.
The 2006 CD, The Sights and Sounds of the CPR Holiday Train 2006, featured an all-new lineup of songs, as well as a special bonus DVD about the history of the Holiday Train and its charity mission.
And thankfully, some kind soul uploaded the DVD portion to YouTube. 😀
There was also a CD / DVD package for the 2008 Holiday Train release, entitled Sights and Sounds from the 2008 Holiday Train. Like the previous disc, this was offered in a gatefold cardboard Digipak packaging – one side for the CD, one side for the DVD.
And finally, the most recent CD I have from this collection was produced in 2010. This one, called Holiday Train Tracks, exists both as a single-disc DigiPak pressing and as a purchaseable download on Amazon. It also contains seasonal tracks from Barenaked Ladies, the Odds, and Kelly Prescott. Cool stuff.
Here’s the Kelly Prescott track, if you feel like grooving this morning.
And the Odds with their take on the Chuck Berry classic “Run Run Rudolph.”
There’s one more collection, but it’s not on CD.
In 2018, Canadian Pacific released a Spotify playlist called “20 Songs for 20 Years,” which featured tracks by artists who performed on the Holiday Train trips. The playlist is still accessible today, even though two of the 20 tracks have been delisted from Spotify, so it’s available if you have a Spotify account. Or even if you don’t, it’s a public playlist.
Checking my calendar. Wow. Only a month away from my annual Holiday Train chase.
At least I have a waycool soundtrack to enhance my journey, right? 😀
Chuck The Writer 