By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

Santa Claus gave his reindeer some time off last week, as he temporarily replaced them with a train to travel through southern Chester County, kicking off the Yuletide season for local residents.

On Saturday, Nov. 29, the East Penn Railroad Santa Train ran from Oxford to the Kennett Square Creamery, attracting hundreds of fans and receiving donated toys for distribution to children in need.

The event, which was conceived by and continues to be led by Avondale Mayor Susan Rzucidlo, brings the train to stops in West Grove, Avondale, Toughkenamon and the Kennett Square train station in addition to its origin and destination.

Unlike some Christmastime train rides that charge admission or invite riders to dine on board, this train is free to all and Santa steps off to shake hands and pose with anyone who visits at the stops.

The Santa Train started three years ago with Santa Claus alighting from the recognizable East Penn Railroad engine and greeting the children for photos and conviviality at the stops. Even in 2023, when the idea was new to the area, hundreds of fans turned out with enthusiasm, cheering and snapping pictures.

Since then, the spirit has remained high, but there have been some changes including the addition of Oxford to the route.

For another thing, the engine has a striking new look this year. Its red, white and blue makeover to celebrate the America250 anniversary made its debut in June. This engine was also parked in the Kennett Square Station over the July 4 weekend for display, but in the meantime has been tucked away most of the time.

Saturday was the first view of the colorful vehicle for many people, and they responded with lots of photo-taking and social media posting.

So impressive is its appearance that it was even featured in national railroad publications.

Another innovation was the restored caboose that trailed along at the rear for the first time. It carried Santa Representative Paul Morgan and the East Penn crew.

This caboose has been sitting in the yard beside the station for years looking dilapidated and useless. It was in disrepair, marked with graffiti and somber brown in color.

This year, Trainmaster Randy Miller took on the challenging job of bringing it back to life for the Yuletide event. He did the work in about three weeks.

Traveling between the striking new engine and caboose was the addition of an orange boxcar. It was the collection destination for all the donations to the Marines Toys for Tots.

Those who helped load and count the donations reported hundreds of toys that they hoisted into the car.

In West Grove, Avon Grove Library director David Payne enhanced the community event with refreshments, model trains and the offering of a warm waiting area for visitors.

Yuletide celebrations continue throughout southern Chester County with events from other organizations taking place during the holiday season.