DM E joins CP Holiday Train in a decade of giving

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Food banks in more than 100 North American communities will be front and center when Canadian Pacific's tenth annual Holiday Train gets underway. A brightly decorated CP train will collect food and money for local food banks, raise awareness in the fight against hunger and, help communities across CP's newly expanded network celebrate the holiday season.

"The Holiday Train is North America's largest rolling fundraiser and a cherished tradition for our employees and the communities where we operate," said CP President and CEO Fred Green. "We're especially pleased to welcome employees and communities throughout our newly acquired DM E territory, helping us feed the celebration."

Bringing holiday cheer and an important message supporting food banks are Juno award-winning singer songwriter Melanie Doane and blues rocker Shaun Verreault, of Wide Mouth Mason fame. Their live 30 minute performances are free at each event. In return, non-perishable food items or a cash donation in support of the local food charity are requested.

"I'm excited to headline the Holiday Train and bring awareness to food bank programs across the United States," said singer songwriter Melanie Doane. "I encourage everyone to bring donations to our Holiday Train stops and help feed the celebration in your community."

Over 40 American cities, towns and villages will experience the Holiday Train spirit, starting in Scranton, PA on November 28 and concluding in Carpio, ND on December 17. For the first time this year, the Holiday Train will visit communities in Iowa and additional communities in Minnesota and Illinois in CP's newly acquired DM E and IC E territories.

The CP Holiday Train achieves a milestone this year, celebrating a decade-long message of hope and community support. Since 1999, the Holiday Train program has helped to raise more than $3.5 million and 1.8 million pounds of food.

"The Holiday Train event has become our largest fundraiser," said Michelle Rageth, Director of the Friends in Need Food Shelf in Cottage Grove, MN. "We serve over 15,000 people each year and we would not be able to do that without the amazing support of Canadian Pacific and our wonderful community. The Holiday Train brings together local businesses, schools, churches, local government, and the general public in a mutual celebration. We are so very grateful to all who come out and support the Train and Friends in Need."

At each event, Canadian Pacific provides the train, a box car stage, musical entertainment and a corporate contribution to the local food bank. Every donation collected in a community remains in that community for local distribution.

About Canadian Pacific:

Canadian Pacific, through the ingenuity of its employees located across Canada and in the United States, remains committed to being the safest, most fluid railway in North America. Our people are the key to delivering innovative transportation solutions to our customers and to ensuring the safe operation of our trains through the more than 900 communities where we operate. Come and visit us at www.cpr.ca to see how we can put our ingenuity to work for you. Canadian Pacific is proud to be the official rail freight services provider for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Editors please note: For detailed schedules, musicians' biographies and photos, a route map and downloadable pictures of the train, visit www.cpr.ca and click the Holiday Train icon.

    2008 CP Holiday Train Schedule

    Schedule is subject to change
    All times are local

    Wednesday, Nov. 26
    New York
    Rouses Point - 11:00 to 11:30 p.m., Rouses Point Station

    Friday, November 28
    Pennsylvania
    Scranton - 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. - Steamtown Railroad Museum, Lackawanna Ave.

    New York
    Binghamton - 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. - CP East Binghamton Rail Yard, Conklin
     Ave.

    Saturday, November 29
    New York
    Oneonta - 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. -  Gas Avenue Railroad Crossing.
    Cobleskill - 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. - Cobleskill Fire Department, 610 Main
     Street.
    Delanson - 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. - Main Street Railroad Crossing.

    Sunday, November 30
    New York
    Saratoga Springs - 12:45 to 1:15 p.m. - Amtrak Station.
    Fort Edward - 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. - Amtrak Station.
    Whitehall - 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. - Amtrak Station.
    Ticonderoga - 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. - Pell's Crossing, Amtrak Waiting Area,
     Route 74 (Fort Ti Road).
    Port Henry - 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. - Amtrak Station, West side stop.
    Plattsburgh - 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. - Amtrak Station.

    Friday, December 5
    Illinois
    Pingree Grove - 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. - TBA

    Iowa
    Savanna - 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. - TBA
    Clinton - 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. - TBA
    Davenport - 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. - TBA
    Muscatine - 10:15 to 10:45 p.m. - TBA

    Saturday, December 6
    Iowa
    Bellevue - 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. - TBA
    Dubuque - 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. - TBA
    Guttenberg - 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. - TBA
    Marquette - 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. - TBA
    Lansing - 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. - TBA

    Minnesota
    La Crescent - 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. - TBA

    Tuesday, December 9
    Illinois
    Gurnee - 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. -  4460 Old Grand Avenue, Viking Middle School
     Park

    Wisconsin
    Sturtevant - 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.  - Amtrak depot, 9900 E. Exploration Ct.
    Hartland - 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. - Parking lot adjacent to Cottonwood Ave.
     and Pawling Ave.

    Wednesday, December 10
    Wisconsin
    Portage - 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. - Amtrak Station, 400 West Oneida St.
    Wisconsin Dells - 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. - Amtrak Depot, 100 La Crosse St.
    Mauston - 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. - Division Street Railway Crossing
    Sparta - 9:45 to 10:15 p.m. -  Corner of S. Water St. and Milwaukee St.
     (South side of the CP tracks.)

    Thursday, December 11
    Wisconsin
    La Crosse - 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. - Amtrak Station, 601 Saint Andrew St.

    Minnesota
    Winona - 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. - Amtrak Station, 65 East Mark St.
    Wabasha - 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. - Gambie Avenue Railroad Crossing near
     Bruegger Park.
    Lake City - 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. - Hearth & Home Technologies, 800 West
     Jefferson St.

    Friday, December 12
    Minnesota
    Hastings - 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. - CP Depot, 500 East Second St.
    Cottage Grove - 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. - West Point Douglas Road, South of
     Seiben Bridge in front of the Youth Service Bureau.
    St. Paul - 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. - Upper level of Central Parking System ramp
     at Broadway & Kellogg in Lowertown.
    Minneapolis (Shoreham) - 9:30 to 10 p.m. -  CP Shoreham Yard, 2800
     Central Ave. NE

    Sunday, December 14
    Minnesota
    Loretto - 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. - Hennepin County Road 19 Railroad
     Crossing/Chippewa Trail.
    Buffalo - 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. - 612 NE Third Ave., behind McDonald's on
     Highway 55.
    Annandale - 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. - West side of downtown park over Oak
     Avenue Railroad Crossing.
    Kimball - 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. - TBA

    Monday, December 15
    Minnesota
    Alexandria - 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. - Eighth Avenue East Railroad Crossing by
     Hubbard Feed Mill at 8th & Nokomis.
    Detroit Lakes - 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. - Holmes Street railroad crossing near
     the Holmes Community Center, 826 Summit.
    Thief River Falls - 8:15 to 8:45 p.m. - CP Depot/City Hall, 2017
     Highway 59 SE.

    Tuesday, December 16
    Minnesota
    Elbow Lake - 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. - Main Street Railroad Crossing.

    North Dakota
    Hankinson - 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. - American Legion Parking Lot, 122 1st St.
     (Main St. Xing north side of track).
    Enderlin - 9:45 to 10:15 p.m. - CPR depot, 101 Harvest Lane.

    Wednesday, December 17
    North Dakota
    Harvey - 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. - CP Depot, 600 Lincoln Ave.
    Minot - 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. -  Main Street Railroad Crossing.
    Carpio - 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. - Main Street Railroad Crossing.

    Please note: Additional communities are in the process of being
    confirmed.

    Contact:
    Mike LoVecchio
    Senior Manager, Media Relations
    Canadian Pacific
    778 772-9636
    mike_lovecchio@cpr.ca
    or
    Jeff Johnson
    Manager, Municipal Affairs
    Canadian Pacific
    612 723-6422
    jeffrey_w_johnson@cpr.ca



                 Backgrounder: Canadian Pacific Holiday Train

     -  The Holiday Train Program began in 1999 with a handful of communities
        and a few lights on a freight train. Today, with its hundreds of
        thousands of festive lights and a live show featuring well known
        performers, it's one of Canadian Pacific's main ambassadors in
        working with communities in Canada and the United States and is the
        only fundraiser of its kind for food banks in North America.

     -  Planning for the Holiday Train each year begins at least seven months
        prior to the fundraising kick off.

     -  The Holiday Train requires more than a thousand employee volunteers -
        from train assembly, to light design, to event production and
        security, to safety and planning compliance, to operations. This
        includes most of our terminals and offices, where local employees
        plan food drives to coordinate with the arrival of the train.

     -  Since its launch in 1999, the Holiday Train program has raised over
        $3.56 million and more than to 1.8 million pounds of food for
        North American food banks. All donations collected in a community
        remain in that community for local distribution.

     -  In 2007, more than $600,000 and 316,000 pounds of food were raised by
        concerned Canadians and Americans.

    2008 Holiday Train

     -  Two Holiday Trains raising awareness and collecting money and
        donations for hunger relief, crossing seven U.S. states and six
        Canadian provinces for a combined distance of approximately
        6,500 miles.

     -  This year, the two trains will visit more than 125 communities in
        Canada and the United States Northeast and Midwest, in addition to
        many other short stops along the way.

     -  Each Holiday Train is about 1,000 feet in length with 14
        decorated rail cars, including a modified box car that has been
        turned into a traveling stage for performers. The two trains are
        assembled and decorated by CP employees in Montreal, Smiths Falls,
        Chicago and Calgary.

     -  The U.S. and Canadian Holiday Trains are each decorated with hundreds
        of thousands of energy efficient LED lights. Both Holiday Trains are
        powered by GE-built 4,400 hp high-performance locomotives, with four
        additional diesel generators to power the light systems.

     -  Joining the 2008 Holiday Train in Canada is 2008 Canadian Country
        Music Association Male artist of the year, Johnny Reid. Reid will be
        joined by Holiday Train favourite and Country Music Hall of Fame
        performer Tracey Brown, who recently released her second solo CD,
        "Alone." The US Holiday Train will be graced with the presence of
        Juno award winning singer songwriter Melanie Doane and Canadian blues
        rocker Shaun Verreault, of Wide Mouth Mason fame.

     -  The 30-minute live musical presentations are FREE - all that's asked
        is that guests bring non-perishable foodstuffs for their local food
        banks.

     -  In celebration of a decade of raising food, funds and awareness for
        the needy across North America, Canadian Pacific has produced a
        special anniversary CD/DVD featuring sights and sounds of the Holiday
        Train. This special CD/DVD will only be available for purchase at a
        Holiday Train event in your community.

    Contact:
    Breanne Feigel
    Manager, Media Relations
    Canadian Pacific
    403 589-6949
    breanne_feigel@cpr.ca
    or
    Mike LoVecchio
    Senior Manager, Media Relations
    Canadian Pacific
    778 772-9636
    mike_lovecchio@cpr.ca

    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

SOURCE Canadian Pacific Railway