Train arrives for Hope on Dec 1

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IN A bid to spread light and warmth to the lives of the underprivileged, Hilton Christmas Train of Hilton Petaling Jaya is returning for the seventh year.

Showcasing at the hotel lobby from Dec 1 to Jan 8, 2012, the miniature train exhibit will put a smile on the faces of children as well as adults.

The hotel is raising funds through advertising space on various wagons, hot-air balloons and billboards and donation from diners.

The nett proceed will be channelled to Rumah Hope and the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia.

Ready to roll: The Hilton Christmas Train 2011 is back for the seventh year.

Staying true to the spirit of giving and caring during the festive season, the hotel has spearheaded this Hilton tradition since 2004.

“We have received continuous support from various stakeholders such as corporate clients, suppliers, restaurant diners and the local community since our first Hilton Christmas Train.

“It is a great opportunity for companies to play their role as responsible corporate citizens yet at the same time leverage on advertising mileage by having their company logo visibly branded on the train exhibit,” said the hotel general manager Chris Ehmann.

Coffex Coffee, ICI Paints, Kian Tatt Seafood, Weng Cheong Food Supply, Nature First Harvest and Sri Talamaz are some of the joint sponsors.

This year, the launch of the train has marked the significant moment to PJ Hilton because the train is constructed entirely in-house.

“We are proud to say this is solely our very own year-end charity project as it is assembled completely by our engineering and pastry teams.

“Despite its smaller scale compared to previous years when we outsourced experts and college students, the satisfaction gained when you see the smile on children’s face and compliments from guests cannot be put into words,” said Ehmann.

The Hilton Christmas Train features a winter setting of the North European Village with royal icing mountains, royal icing trees as tall as 0.76m, traditional buildings made of gingerbread, bridges, billboards, tunnel and hot-air balloons.

The display is made up of two locomotives with six wagons each, 30 pieces of plywood, 30 metres of wire, 500kg of icing sugar, 500kg of flour, 200kg of butter, 200kg of sugar, 50kg of ginger and 50kg of spices.

Chugging through the winter wonderland is a series of G-scale trains, 22 times smaller than the actual train.

They will be passing through tunnels, steaming over a bridge and stopping to take on more passengers at the little town station. The display covers a space of approximately 35sq m.

Besides obtaining support from corporate companies, the hotel will be running a fundraising campaign. Guests are invited to contribute through the donation boxes placed at the train exhibit and dining outlets.