1 December 2004 Holiday Train Chugging Back to Cochrane Cochrane - It pays to have friends in high places, or more accurately, it pays to have an in with the boss.   And thanks to Julie McDonald's in with her boss at Canadian Pacific Railway and the fact that she calls Cochrane home, the CPR Christmas Train will make a stop in Cochrane for the second straight year.   McDonald, who works in community relations and public affairs for Canadian Pacific, said when she saw that Cochrane wasn't on the list of stops and the train was headed to a school event in Canmore, she did her best to see if she could work something out. "I talked to my boss and he made it happen," she said.   So, what that means is that on Thursday, 16 Dec 2004, the Christmas Train will stop in Cochrane between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. And, although the lights on the train won't be as impressive as they are at night, the stars that will be shining on the stage are sure to please.   The Moffatts, who in 1994 became the youngest band to ever sign a contract with a major record label, are headlining the show. Their debut album sold close to a half a million copies in Canada and the United States. They have played at the White House, and played the first outdoor concert ever held in Vietnam, and now they will be playing Cochrane on the Holiday Train. But, they aren't the only major name that will make the trek to Cochrane.   Newfoundland music sensation The Ennis Sisters will also come rolling down the tracks. They hit the Canadian big time in 2002 when they won the Canadian Radio Music Award for Best Country Group, an East Coast Music Award as Group of the Year, and the pinnacle of Canadian music, a Juno Award for Best New Country Artist or Group.   And, Tracey Brown is also on board - the youngest member of The Family Brown, who released 17 albums and was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Association Hall of Fame. Brown isn't shy about lending her voice to help out worthy causes, everything from the Red River Relief Fund, the Huron Carole, the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and, of course, the Holiday Train.   This will be the sixth year that CPR's Holiday Train will be criss-crossing the country, and also into the northern United States. The goal of the effort is to raise cash, food and awareness for hunger relief efforts across North America.   Two separate trains will be involved, one hitting 25 communities in the United States, while the other one stops in 50 communities across Canada.   This year, CPR will donate more than $225,000 to local food banks, and that is in addition to the food and cash donations collected at each stop. Since 1999, the Holiday Train has raised more than $1.5 million for Canadian and American food banks.   McDonald said anyone coming to see the train is asked to please bring a non-perishable food item, or a cash donation that they can give to the Cochrane Activettes. And, she noted the stage performances should be even better than last year. "It will be a lot different because the music is live," she said. "Last year the singing was live, but the music was played from a tape."   The train will once again stop behind the Provincial Building on 1st St., just before the 4th Avenue railway crossing.   McDonald also said she hopes that even though schools in Cochrane aren't officially out until 17 Dec 2004, she is hopeful some of the schools will bring their students down to see the train.