Word of a coming appearance by Santa Claus on a train prompted hundreds of spectators to show up at local villages and towns to witness the event on Saturday.

Avondale Mayor Susan Rzucidlo came up with the idea of starting a “Santa Train” -- one in which the East Penn Railroad would take the Santa on a ride from Kennett Square to West Grove with stops along he way. There would be no passengers or children riding – just the patron of Christmas stopping by  to say, “Hi.”

It turned out that within a week’s notice, the idea caught on, and when Saturday came under sunny skies matched with warm breezes, large crowds arrived and grew.

“It was outstanding,” Rzucidlo said later.

The East Penn train stopped at Kennett Square, Toughkenamon, Avondale and West Grove in the early afternoon. As soon as it stopped and Santa Claus lumbered down the steps from the front of the locomotive, it turned into a wild photography frenzy among families and fans.

Parents pulled out their cell phones and grabbed pictures of their children standing with Santa until he re-boarded following the 20-minute visit to move on to the next stop.

Don Craumer, the vice president of East Regional Rails, the parent company of East Penn Railroad, made the project possible, Rzucidlo said. And on Saturday he was on hand to witness the success he wrought.

Craumer had given her the authority to carry out her plan as well as to enlist the help of a Boy Scout troop to decorate the locomotive with garlands and banners.

Local residents had been informed of or found out about the predicted arrival times in their towns, and they started to show up onsite about a half hour ahead of time.

They knew what the train whistle sounded like, so when it approached with its characteristic warning sound, they knew Santa was on the way. They were further elated to see that Santa Claus was not inside the train, but rather riding front and center outside on the front of the locomotive with a wreath adding to the festive mood.

Many people shouted, “He’s riding right up front!”

As he lumbered down the locomotive steps, he was surrounded by children and parents with their cameras. Hundreds of pictures were snapped on that day.

Children were not the only ones who showed up however.

Many elderly adults who never outgrew their fondness for trains were on the scene as well. Most of them had stories to tell.

Paul Baringer, 85, awaited the train at Avondale. He said he spent his career working for the railroad, following in his father’s footsteps as a train employee. Baringer added that as a youth, he used to ride the train from Quakertown to Philadelphia and enjoy adventures in the city.

John Gilpin, a train fan of retirement age, showed up wearing an old “Broadway Limited” T-shirt, which he calls his “train shirt.’

His wife, Sheila, said, “He fills the house with train stuff. He has one room full of model trains and a platform.”

Gilpin added that he has known a lot of train workers through his life and showed up because he might see some of them at the Avondale train stop.

Retired Kennett Square Police Chief Albert McCarthy, 73, also came without any children. He has been a long-standing liaison with the East Penn Railroad who monitors the safety of the rails. He said he knows the train staff in Kennett Square well and is optimistic about the continuing growth of the railroad.

With only about a week’s notice of the event and the sudden embrace by residents, and even visitors from out of town, many people asked if the event would continue next year. Others said they would like to see the train continue to Oxford and have stops along the way offering refreshments. In response to the question if the event would continue, Rzucidlo said, “Absolutely.”

The East Penn Railroad has its headquarters at the station on South Broad Street Kennett Square. It operates on 110 miles of track in South Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. It carries freight only.