#santa train

12-14-2013

Companions of Christmas 18: Hogger Boggs! During World War II, Santa generally had to fly much lower than he does during peacetime, for fear of attracting the attention of aircraft spotters and putting local towns into panic. But this made delivering presents in some areas difficult, and in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee, with their dense trees and steep peaks, it proved all but impossible, and Santa was at a loss for how to get gifts to the children in the coal towns. Santa reached out to his department store ambassadors in the area to ask if they had any ideas, and his proxy in Kingsport, Tennessee brought the question to the town’s merchant association, who suggested that Santa use the local rail line. But there was a problem: the Clinchfield line, which hit every mining town between Marrowbone & Kermit, was an extremely busy one, with its cars constantly loading the coal needed for both civilian life and the war. With its frequent stops, Santa would never have time to get all over the world. At a loss, they went to see Hogger Boggs, the retired train engineer reputed to know the mountain grades and switches better than anyone else on the railroad. And Boggs set to work, charting a schedule that would allow them to barrel through at full speed without stopping. Boggs’ timetable had to be precise to the very second in order to miss the other trains by mere inches, and the railroad, knowing how hard a time the miners and their families had been having with so many of their number off at war, agreed to give Boggs use of an engine. 6/ When Christmas came, Hogger Boggs was ready, and, with Santa aboard, navigated his train through winding mountains, artfully managing its pace as it climbed and dived, with Santa throwing toys and candies along the way to the children who otherwise wouldn’t have received them. After the end of WWII, Santa returned to delivering presents to Appalachia by sleigh, but the people along the Clinchfield line had so embraced the “Santa Claus Special” that it’s become a yearly tradition. These days, Hogger Boggs lives at the North Pole, where he serves as chief engineer of all Christmas trains, and Santa's chief consultant on planning and scheduling delivery routes for St Nicolas Day, Christmas, and Epiphany. But late each November, Santa and Hogger Boggs take a trip from their northern home down to eastern Kentucky to ride the southbound line through a hundred miles of coal country and distribute toys, school supplies, and necessities to its children.

2018

Santa Train at East Troy by Paul Fortini Via Flickr: East Troy Electric RR Diner #25, "Ravenswood" lays over briefly at the East Troy Yard before its return trip to the Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago. The Santa Train offered passengers the opportunity to ride some "non-revenue" trackage as well as the normal route.

Santa gets a few seconds to rest before another child is placed upon his lap, while his ride (NS GP40-2 3022) takes a rest in the background. Santa sat here for two-and-a-half hours visiting with the local children before moving up the line to his next stop. Merry Christmas. Freehold, NJ December 12, 2009

NS 3010, the usual power for the Morristown and Erie's Toys for Tots train had suffered mechanical issues on its way back from the NYS&W Toys for Tots train which rendered it unusable for the following days train. This yielded two unique photographic opportunities, the first of which was the M&E Toys for Tots train operating with an M&E unit (as opposed to 3010) and the second was the chance to see the Maine Eastern FL9 leading the Whippany Santa trains. The FL9 did not power the train, it simply served as a cab car for the crew on the West end, but offered a very rare opportunity to see the engine leading a train in New Jersey before being sent back to Maine after the M&E repaired the locomotive. Here we see the train making its way back to Whippany as they cross the Algonquin Parkway. Hanover, NJ December 11, 2011

Santa Train has just cleared MP 95 and is working its way to the old MILW depot. Wausau, WI November 30, 2003

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas as a Santa Claus train on the West Chester Railroad passes the former Pennsylvania Railroad shelter at Locksley. December 8, 2012