The Santa Train Delivers Joy to Rural Appalachia

For over 60 years, a train called the Santa Special, or the Santa Train, has made an annual trek through the hills of rural Appalachia (Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee) spreading gifts and goodwill to thousands of people. The Santa Train, usually eight cars and a locomotive, always runs the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It is co-sponsored by the Kingsport, Tennessee area Chamber of Commerce and CSX Transportation; a Florida based railroad that owns the line. For this one day, Santa Claus leaves his reindeer at home and hops on board the Santa Train to deliver joy and an early Christmas to hundreds of families along the 110-mile corridor of rural Appalachia. In small towns and crossings along the way, 15 tons of donated toys, books, clothes, stuffed animals, baked goods and candy are tossed out the back of the train by Santa and his special helpers to the children who are anxiously awaiting along the railroad tracks. Thousands of people come out to welcome the train to their hometowns each year. Others who live deeper in the hills will sometimes be waiting unexpectedly in the middle of nowhere – no houses in site – for their chance to get a glimpse of the man in the red suit. One year, singer Patty Loveless helped Santa deliver the goodies. Other famous people who have taken their turns riding the train include Kentucky Governor Paul Patton, singers Travis Tritt and Naomi Judd.

The Santa Train tradition began in 1943 when a small group of Kingsport, Tennessee businessmen decided to do something unique to thank their customers. They made arrangements with representatives of the Clinchfield Railroad, which was the predecessor of CSX. The Santa Special runs from Pikeville, Kentucky to Kingsport, Tennessee and due to the limited number of seating, passengers on board the train are selected by invitation of the Kingsport Chamber President. As the train lumbers through the coal fields and remote valleys, a state highway is usually never far away, so people often follow along in their cars, honking their horns and waving frantically to Santa and his crew. The route of the train goes through an area of the country that has a history of economic uncertainty. Over the years, coal mining was often the only thing to do in the region and if layoffs or shutdowns occurred, it left many families without the means to celebrate the holidays. Those were the times when the Santa Train was very special and the gifts that Santa delivered were often all the children received for the holidays. Today, the economic outlook in the region is better, but many say it’s still one of the most satisfying things in life – to see a child’s face light up when they see Santa waving to them from the back of that train. Many people, who once watched the train as youngsters themselves, now bring their grandchildren or even great-grandchildren to see the Santa Train. Also, each year, two high school seniors along the route are awarded the Santa Train Scholarships to help fund their college education.

Singer Patty Loveless, a native of Pikeville, Kentucky, recalls seeing the Santa Train when she was a child. She helped Santa deliver the toys and candy during his 1999 run and has said “Riding the Santa Train let me reach out to others and reach out to my own past. It was incredible.” Santa only takes new clothes or toys on the train with him, so if you’d like to make a donation (either a gift or money,) you can send it to the address below.

Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce
Attn: Santa Train
151 East Main Street
Kingsport, TN 37660
(423) 392-8800