It’s time to begin thinking about Santa Train, because tickets for the Northwest Railway Museum’s traditional train rides sell out fast.

Ticket sales start in August for the holiday event, now in its 47th year. For eight days, beginning Saturday, Nov. 26, families can take a holiday train excursion to visit Santa Claus at the historic Snoqualmie Depot. Guests will enjoy music, fresh-baked cookies from coal-fired ovens, hot cocoa and fresh coffee, and each child will receive a small gift.

The two-hour event takes place the weekends of Nov. 26 to 27, Dec. 3 to 4, 10 to 11, and 16 to 17; the Friday, Dec. 16 event will be a special Steam Santa Train ride. There are seven hourly departures to choose from, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., each day.

Buy tickets online at www.trainmuseum.org, at the Snoqualmie Depot at 38625 S.E. King St., Snoqualmie, or by calling (425) 888-3030, ext. 7202. Tickets are $24 per person for everyone ages 2 and older.

Founded in 1957, the Northwest Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in Washington State, welcoming more than 88,000 visitors each year. The museum operates an interpretive railway program offering antique train excursions through the Upper Snoqualmie Valley and has one of the most significant collections in the U.S., with more than 70 examples of locomotives, passenger and freight cars, and specialized railway equipment.

Home of the museum, the Snoqualmie Depot is recognized as the oldest continuously operated train station in the state. The seven-acre Railway History Center includes a Conservation and Restoration Center and 25,000 square-foot Train Shed exhibit building. The Northwest Railway Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.