GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Herpolsheimer's iconic children's monorail will be on display in its original theme for the first time in almost six decades.

Herpolsheimer's "Santa Express" is available to see in its original silver-and-red color scheme from Nov. 17 through Jan. 18 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

While children won't be able to ride in it above the ground as they could decades ago, they can sit in one of the train's three cars.

"We're pleased to have this old favorite on display this holiday season," Dale Robertson, CEO of the Grand Rapids Public Museum, said in a statement. "As the keeper of the community's treasures and history, it is our job to preserve them and make them available to the public. We hope families will visit the museum this holiday season to take a walk down memory lane."

The train was donated to the museum in 2000 by the Peter Secchia family. In 2010, work began to restore the train to its original colors and look with the help of David Winick.

The Santa Express debuted in 1949 with the opening of Herpolsheimer's Department Store at the corner of Fulton and Division streets in downtown Grand Rapids, according to the museum.

In its heyday, it was suspended above the toy department at Herpolsheimer's.

Herpolsheimer's was one of two Grand Rapids department stores that inspired the "The Polar Express." Though Herpolsheimer's isn't mentioned in the book, it's named in the 2004 film.

Just as the name of the store changed over the years, so did the look of the train, according to Tim Priest, vice president of facilities and exhibits at the museum.

"During the 1960s the train became the "Rocket Express" in honor of America's space race," Priest previously wrote. "In 1976 it gained a face with glasses and bright yellow coat of paint to become the "Caterpillar Express". It last took on a jungle motif as the "Dino Express" in Mackie's World."

The train will be displayed on the Grand Rapids Public Museum's first floor. Seeing it is included in the cost of general admission.