Santa will be riding the rails this November as he visits Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee on the CSX Santa Train!
Since 1943, the CSX Santa Train has visited towns in the Appalachian Mountains, packed full of gifts and with Santa riding on the back. It’s a CSX locomotive pulling a few passenger cars that hold all the presents to be handed out. Santa waves to everyone along the tracks from a platform on the back of the last train car.
The train is scheduled for Saturday, November 18, 2017, when Santa and his volunteer helpers will hand out gifts and useful supplies to families along the 110 mile (177 km) route from Pikeville, Kentucky to Kingsport, Tennessee. In 2015, the train carried 5,000 gift bags and 15 tons (13,000 kg) of toys, books, fresh fruit, and clothing! In addition to gifts, there is also a scholarship awarded to one graduating high school student.
Here is the full schedule of cities that the Santa Train will visit:
- Shelby, KY
- Marrowbone, KY
- Elkhorn City, KY
- Toms Bottom, VA
- Haysi, VA
- Clinchco, VA
- Fremont, VA
- Dante, VA
- St. Paul, VA
- Dungannon, VA
- Ft. Blackmore, VA
- Kermit, VA
- Waycross, VA
- Kingsport, TN
The train will depart Kentucky on the morning of Saturday, November 18th and will make its way South throughout the day. If you are near the end of the line, there will also be a Santa’s Depot event in Kingsport, TN from 1pm to 4pm.
Tips:
- Always be cautious around railroad tracks. Trains move very fast and weigh thousands of times more than any car on the road, so they need more time to stop.
- Arrive early to find parking and stand clear of the train tracks until Santa Train volunteers say it is safe.
- Crowds at each location can range from hundreds to thousands, so be prepared for the large crowd
- Volunteers will walk through the crowd, making sure each child gets an age-appropriate gift bag
The Santa Train is sponsored by CSX, Dignity U Wear clothing, Food City grocery stores, and the Kingsport, TN Chamber of Commerce.
Bonus: Read more about the restored engines that will be pulling Santa’s train!
(Image via CSX Santa Train on Youtube)