Toys for Tots railcar fundraiser collects $2,550, playthings

Renatta Signorini
Friday, Nov. 24, 2017 3:06 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 24, 2017 3:06 p.m.

Kim Stepinsky | For the Tribune-Review

Beth and Jeff Boris, of New Kensington, ride in their railcar past the Youngwood Historical & Railroad Museum on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 19, 2016, as they roll along the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad. They were headed from Mt. Pleasant to Greensburg with fellow members of the Northeast America Rail Car Owners Association, stopping at multiple destinations to collect toys from the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots campaign. The national organization restores railcars and charters railroads across the U.S. for excursions.

Cold, rainy weather last weekend didn't deter donations to a group of railcar owners who made a 40-mile trek through Westmoreland County to help children in the community.

The group raised $2,550 and collected 275 toys for Toys for Tots on Saturday during the trip on Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad from East Huntingdon to Hempfield and back, said organizer John Gonder.

Participants in the self-propelled railroad inspection vehicles made stops along the route — in towns such as Ruffsdale, Youngwood and Mt. Pleasant — and collected donations from those waiting along the tracks. Railcars are small cabs that were once used by railroad companies to inspect and maintain lines.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.

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