SMITHS FALLS, Ont. – Canadian Pacific’s Holiday Train has drawn more than 10,000 visitors to its stops already, a high number compared to past years, said CP spokesman Mike LoVecchio. The train, an annual CP production, raises money and food for food shelves in towns along CP’s line.

Attendance is “way up,” said LoVecchio, who’s riding the U.S. train. “We had a couple of things that really worked in our favor. One was the timing this year of Thanksgiving; the other was really, really super weather.” As the train covered CP’s former Delaware & Hudson lines in New York and its route across southern Ontario, temperatures remained above freezing.

As attendance has risen, so have donations. “People came out and gave big,” said LoVecchio, and he said food pantry representatives have said the need is big this year with a faltering economy.

The CP employees traveling with the Holiday Train are blogging as they cross the U.S. and Canada; the Web address is: http://holidaytrain.org. LoVecchio today entered an item about his attempt to “liberate” the Canadian train’s DVD player while the U.S. and Canadian trains were parked together in Smiths Falls. “I got within sight of the coach I was trying to get into before I got tackled in the snow by the Canadian train crew. So we’re having a bit of fun out here,” he said.

For a schedule of the train’s upcoming Midwest U.S. and Canada stops, visit www.cpr.ca.