Since 1943, the residents of Appalachian Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee have eagerly awaited Santa’s arrival—not in a sleigh gliding across rooftops, but aboard a train.
This year marks the 82nd run of the Santa Train, which spreads holiday cheer and delivers gifts to small towns along a 110-mile stretch of the CSX rail line nestled in the remote river valleys of coal country.
Traveling from Shelby, Kentucky, to Kingsport, Tennessee, the train covered 110 miles in roughly nine hours, making a dozen stops with volunteers handing out gifts to the crowds gathered along the tracks.
