Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008

Turlock holiday train derailed

Neighbors' seasonal show is stopped in its tracks

TURLOCK -- Houses on Oxford Court are wrapped in red ribbon to resemble candy canes and electric reindeer grace the front yards.

A Christmas lawn decoration shows a young, blond Mrs. Claus in knee-high leather boots riding a motorcycle with Santa.

But this cul-de-sac is missing much of what has drawn 20,000 visitors a year from the Northern San Joaquin Valley and beyond for the past decade -- a three-car train awash in lights that winds through the neighborhood on nearly 700 feet of elevated track.

What derailed this annual excursion? The owners of the home where the train starts its journey told neighbors they feared they may not own their home through December. Neighbors said the homeowners have moved out of the cul-de-sac.

"It's our gift to the community, and we can't give that gift this year," said Oxford Court resident Michele Jaggers, who has the train locked in a warehouse. "It's kind of a disappointing Christmas."

Residents aren't just disappointed the train has been warehoused this year. They have leveraged the thousands of annual visitors to Oxford Court into barrels overflowing with donated toys and canned food for Turlock Together, run by The Salvation Army.

This year, a single barrel has stood empty for days, Jaggers said. "That's the worst part," she said.

Story continues below video.

This project was no kit from a toy store. Thornton and Sangster built it from hundreds of pieces of conduit piping. A golf cart battery charger powers the train and windshield wiper motors move the train's turntables.

Each year, residents rebuild the elevated track from scratch, so they begin in October. There are more than 500 electrical connections and the track is sanded each night to smooth it before the train's three-hour run.

"I guess it was just something to bring the neighbors together initially," said Thornton, who now lives in Alabama. "Then we saw how it kicked off and people in the community started coming and bringing their kids. There were several years there I didn't have time to go Christmas shopping because my time was with the train. But it was worth it."

Residents hope a new family will move into Oxford Court, be willing to help continue the decadelong tradition and give up part of their front yard for the holidays.

"The number of toys and cans of food that have been dropped off over the years is staggering," said Robert Harris, who helps Jaggers' husband, Jeff, and neighbor Tony Romero run the train these days.

"The folks who traveled from the Bay Area and Fresno just to see the display has also been humbling."

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.