The voyage may have been chilly, but the crowning moment to see Santa was worth it for families, hailing from the Valley and beyond, who braved stormy weather to ride the Santa Train on its final day of the year, Saturday, Dec. 20.

Santa Train, which sells out every year, remains a long-standing tradition for fchildren young and old. The snow and the wind couldn’t stop families from celebrating that tradition.

“I love it, it’s like Christmas,” said mom Leanne Brodginski of Bothell, who brought her two young boys to see Santa. It was the family’s third visit to the museum for the holidays.

Cameron Brodginski, 5, enjoys visiting Santa, but younger brother Nathan, 3, is still a bit scared of the big guy.

“He doesn’t like him yet,” Leanne said.

Warming up, Mike Blankenship of Seattle enjoyed cocoa and cookies from the museum’s coal-fired kitchen car.

The family was just beginning to explore the Santa Train experience.

“It’s new to us, but we’ll make it a regular tradition,” Blankenship said. “Because it really is wonderful. It was cold, but the kids were bundled up, and that’s part of the charm.”

“We’re having a blast,” said dad Dwyane Faux, who was on the train with grandma Michele Webber and son Samuel Faux, 5.

Samuel said that the friendly train museum Santa liked him. His favorite part of the day: “Everything!”