You're standing on a gravel patch near the tracks, shivering. The kids are asking for the tenth time if it's coming yet. You think you hear a whistle, but it's just the wind whipping through the power lines. This is the reality of trying to catch the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Holiday Train if you don’t have a plan. Honestly, trying to track the holiday train has become a competitive sport in North America. Since the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, the route is massive. It’s a 1,000-foot-long rolling light show that raises millions for food banks, but if you miss that ten-minute window when it pulls in, you’re just left standing in a dark parking lot with some very disappointed toddlers.
It’s not just one train, either. There are usually two. One stays mostly in Canada; the other dips down into the U.S. Midwest and Northeast before heading back up.
Why Real-Time GPS is Your Best Friend
You can’t just rely on the static PDF schedule CPKC puts out in October. Trains get delayed. Sometimes they run early. If there’s a mechanical issue or a freight priority delay on the line, that 6:45 PM arrival time becomes 8:15 PM real fast. To actually track the holiday train, you need to use the live map on the CPKC website. They usually activate it once the journey begins in late November.
It’s basically a real-time GPS feed. You see a little train icon moving along a red line. When it’s 20 miles out, that’s your cue to start putting on the boots. Don't wait until it's "close." Parking at these rural stops is a nightmare. I’ve seen people abandon cars in ditches just to see the lights.
Check the official CPKC "Track a Train" page. It’s the only source that matters. Third-party apps try to scrape the data, but they lag. A three-minute lag is the difference between seeing the concert and seeing the tail lights of the last car disappearing into the night.
The Secret Physics of the Stop
Here is what most people get wrong: the train doesn't stop at the station platform every time. Because these trains are incredibly long, they often stop at level crossings or behind local businesses where there’s enough flat ground for the stage to drop.
The stage is a modified boxcar. It’s usually located right in the middle of the consist.
When the train grinds to a halt, the side of that boxcar lowers like a drawbridge. Boom. Instant concert. You’ll get professional musicians—past performers have included names like Tenille Townes, Barenaked Ladies, and Seaforth—playing a 20-minute set. Then, the door closes, the air brakes hiss, and it’s gone. It is efficient. It is loud. It is bright.
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Surviving the Crowd Without Losing Your Kids
Crowds at the popular stops like Gurnee, Illinois, or Calgary, Alberta, are massive. We are talking thousands of people in a small radius. If you want to track the holiday train and actually enjoy it, arrive 45 minutes early.
Bring a thermos. Not just for coffee, but for the kids' hot chocolate. The "official" events often have local charities selling snacks, but the lines are longer than the train itself. Also, dress for 10 degrees colder than the forecast. You are standing still on iron and gravel. The cold creeps up through your soles.
- Pro Tip: Look for the "Golden Boxcar." It's not actually gold, but it's the one with the most lights. That’s usually where the VIPs or staff are, and it’s a great landmark if you lose your group.
- The Food Bank Factor: This isn't just a light show. It’s a fundraiser. Bring a bag of non-perishable goods or a five-dollar bill. Every stop supports the local food pantry in that specific town. It’s the "price" of admission, even though the show is technically free.
The Logistics of the Route
The CPKC Holiday Train covers roughly 150 stops across several weeks. It’s a logistical miracle.
The crew lives on the train. They have sleepers, a dining car, and even a power car to keep those hundreds of thousands of LED lights glowing. If you’re trying to track the holiday train over multiple days, notice the pattern. It usually hits 3-4 towns a day. The afternoon stops are "quiet" stops—the lights are on, but they don't pop against the sun. The evening stops are the ones you want for photos.
If you are a photographer, don't use a flash. It’ll just bounce off the reflective snow or the train’s metallic sides and ruin the shot. Long exposure is your friend, but since the train is vibrating and the crowd is pushing, you need a steady hand or a monopod. A tripod is a tripping hazard in those crowds. Just don't be that person.
Common Misconceptions About the Schedule
"It comes every year to my town."
Actually, no.
The route shifts slightly. While major hubs are almost always on the list, smaller whistle-stops rotate. If your town isn't on the list this year, check the town 20 miles down the tracks. Trains are heavy; they don't turn on a dime, so they stick to the main arteries of the CPKC network.
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Another thing: people think they can hop on. You can't. It is a private train. There are no tickets for passengers. The only way to get on that train is to be a CPKC employee or a touring musician.
Technical Realities of Train Tracking
Railfans—the people who spend all year filming engines—use radio scanners. If you really want to be hardcore about how you track the holiday train, you can listen to the dispatch frequencies. You’ll hear the engineer talking to the rail traffic controller (RTC).
They’ll say things like, "CP 2248 East, approaching Mile 42."
If you know where Mile 42 is, you know exactly how many minutes you have. For most people, that’s overkill. For the rest of us, the CPKC Facebook and X (Twitter) accounts are surprisingly fast with updates. They post when the train is leaving the previous town.
Actionable Steps for Your Chase
Don't just wing it.
First, go to the CPKC website and download the specific schedule for your region (U.S. or Canada). Mark the time, but treat it as a suggestion.
Second, download a local map of the stop. Don't assume the "train station" is the stop. Sometimes it’s "The crossing at Main Street."
Third, pack a "Go-Bag."
- Extra gloves (someone always drops one in the snow).
- A portable power bank. Cold weather kills phone batteries in minutes.
- Heavy-duty trash bags. Why? To sit on. Wet, frozen ground is a mood killer.
Fourth, check the weather. If there's a blizzard, the train usually keeps rolling, but the highway might be closed. The train is heavier than your SUV. It wins.
Finally, keep your phone in an inner pocket. The body heat keeps the battery from crashing just as the train pulls in. There is nothing worse than seeing those 16 cars of flickering LEDs and having your screen go black.
This isn't just about seeing a train. It's about that weird, communal feeling of standing in the dark with your neighbors, hearing a horn in the distance, and seeing the woods light up in neon red and green. It's worth the cold. Just track it properly so you aren't staring at empty tracks.