What could be sweeter than a train made out of 150 pounds of gingerbread, 67 pounds of candy, and topped off with 54 pounds of icing?

According to Scott Differ, the bakery manager at Wilson Farms, not much. Since the first week of December, the 7-foot-long, 4-foot-wide, gingerbread train has been on display in the bakery section of the Pleasant Street farm.

"Last year we had a gigantic gingerbread house, and it really caught people's attention," said Differ, who wanted to top the house with something even more extravagant for this holiday season. "I wanted something more whimsical this year, and (baker) Jeanie Gere and I threw around some ideas and came up with a train. We were going to do a little boxcar, but we took it over the top."

Differ said the project took four eight- to 10-hour days to construct, and the original idea for the train was based on a certain popular movie.

"Being a Harry Potter fanatic, I wanted to make the Hogwarts Express, but we weren't sure of the copyright laws. That's what shaped our imagination anyway," said Differ. "We have different suppliers that supply us with fresh flour and spices, and we wanted to use old-fashioned candy. It probably weighs 250-300 pounds, and it took eight employees to carry it upstairs. That was very nerve-wracking."

The plan was to keep the train up through the holidays, but because of "good response from people wanting to see it," Differ said it will probably remain on display for at least a couple extra weeks.

"It's such a delight because it's not something you see every day. It helps create a cheery atmosphere," he said. "This is the second year of this tradition, and we want to do something totally different and totally eye catching each year so people will be waiting with anticipation each holiday season."

According to Differ, Wilson Farms is going to try to preserve this year's creation and use it as part of next year's display.

"We're hoping that it will survive a year with the proper care. I want to make one that lights up and moves next year, and this will be part of it," he said. "It reminds you that Christmas and the holiday season should be fun. This is something old-fashioned, like the old-fashioned customer service we try to give people. If you keep people happy, they will keep coming back. That was kind of the inspiration, to make something fun for the customers."