Santa’s annual train visit delivers hope and magic to one corner of coal country
Since 1943, the people of Appalachian Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee have looked forward to Santa’s arrival. Not in a sleigh on their rooftops, but on a train. The Santa Train marks its 82nd running this year, bringing presents and joy to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the CSX rail line tucked into remote coal-country river valleys. Many of the children who line the tracks and wait for Santa on the Saturday before Thanksgiving are the third, fourth or fifth generation to do so. “I look for it every year. I count the days down,” said Sandra Owens, of Haysi, Virginia, who held a pink pillowcase with a message in black ink, “Thank you CSX and volunteers for the Santa Train. 82.” Owens moved to Kentucky from Delaware 55 years ago when she got married and experienced h...
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