The 69th annual CSX Santa Train ran safely and on time again this year, thanks in large part to Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 781 in Erwin, Tenn. The BLET is part of the Teamsters Rail Conference.

Every November, Santa Claus trades his sleigh and reindeer for a CSX train and rides through Appalachia. On November 19, Santa and his elves distributed 15 tons of donated gifts to children of all ages at the 14 stops along the 110-mile route through eastern Kentucky, western Virginia and northeast Tennessee.

The annual event is sponsored by CSX Transportation, Food City Grocers of Abingdon, Va., Kids Wish Network (a Florida-based nonprofit) and other local groups. The Kids Wish Network made a $500,000 donation of toys this year.

In addition to Santa, this year’s special guests were Thompson Square, a Grammy-nominated husband-and-wife country music duo.

The members of BLET Division 781 normally run CSX freight trains along the route from Shelby, Ky. to Kingsport, Tenn. It is difficult terrain and the BLET members are intimately familiar with the route’s many challenging hills and curves. They are uniquely qualified to operate trains along the territory and are extremely proud of their contributions to the Santa Train heritage.

Typically, the senior member of the Division will bid on the Santa Train job. This year, the honor went to T.L. “Tuck” Bradley, a 25-year member of the BLET.

Bradley hired out as a brakeman in October 1981 on the former Clinchfield Railroad in Dante, Va. He stayed with the railroad through various mergers and acquisitions over the years, which included the Seaboard, L&N, Family Lines, Chessie System and eventually CSX.

Bradley knows firsthand the importance of the Santa Claus Train to the Appalachian region. “I went to the Santa Claus Train myself as a kid growing up,” he said. “It’s good for the kids. For some this may be the only Christmas present they get.”

Coming full circle and working behind the throttle of the Santa Claus Train was a fulfilling experience for Bradley. Also, it was particularly rewarding for him to know that two of his grandchildren—Abby, 6, and Parker, 5—were in the crowd as the train stopped in St. Paul, Va. In fact, they were a large reason he bid on the Santa Train job in the first place.

“My grandkids wanted me to do it,” he said. “They were more excited about it than I was.”

Bradley admits he was nervous about the large crowds along the route and the potential for a tragic accident, but he took heart in knowing his fellow BLET brothers and sisters would be along the route to help with crowd control.

In addition to providing a pool of locomotive engineers to operate the Santa Train, the members of BLET Division 781 also coordinate safety teams designated to be at each of the 14 stops along the route. According to Division 781’s Justin Wilcox, these safety teams keep crowds away from the tracks as the Santa Train prepares to stop.

“It helps give the engineer and crew a better feeling as they approach,” Wilcox said. “Sometimes hundreds of men, women and children are close to the tracks.” 

Wilcox concluded by thanking Bradley for his years of service to BLET members. “Tuck was one of the best trainers of new engineers as we came through Cumberland in the late 1990s,” Wilcox said. “He not only taught us to run a train in good conditions, but did things to simulate problems and showed us how to get out of them. He’s one of the best.”