By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

The Santa Train that last December traversed the East Penn Railroad tracks from Kennett Square to West Grove will return this year on Dec. 14.

The event, which featured stops at Toughkenamon and Avondale as well, was so popular that East Penn RR is adding Oxford to the trip this year.

Avondale Borough Mayor Susan Rzucidlo came up with the idea, having been urged, she said, by West Grove Borough Mayor Stephen Black. She took the plan to Regional Rail Vice President Don Craumer, who accepted the challenge to work out details.

Regional Rail is the parent company of the local East Penn line that runs from Chadds Ford to Nottingham. It is housed at the Kennett Square train station.

Last year, the Santa Train came as something of a surprise to the public, because it was not announced until the week before.

Craumer said recently, “I thought maybe four people would show up. I was working in my office when a colleague came in and said, ‘You better look out there.’”

To his surprise and amazement, Craumer saw the entire parking lot overflowing with cars and scores of people standing waiting for the train to appear. Many of the visitors were not only families with children – but also adults who never outgrew their affection for trains.

Santa arrived, standing at the head of the decorated engine and waving to the spectators.

Craumer said he heard that news of the train spread fast online that morning, and even as the train left Kennet Square, people along the western route, folks were reacting and going to see it.

In West Grove there were several hundred people.

This is the preliminary schedule for 2024, with 25-minute stops at each town:

Kennett Square, 10 a.m.

Toughkenamon, 10:45 a.m.

Avondale, 11:20 a.m.

West Grove, noon

Oxford, 1:25 p.m.

People familiar with train lore said there are various kinds of Santa trains.

In some communities, parents pay to have their children board that train and have lunch with Santa.

That is not the case with this East Penn event.

It’s free.

Also, with the Santa Train making stops in southern Chester County, Santa rides the one-engine train along the tracks with the engineer and is quite happy to climb down for photos. He does not sit for a line to hear what the children ask for on their Christmas lists. He poses for pictures and shakes hands with the kids.

East Penn Railroad is one of 16 small freight rail lines under the Regional Rail ownership. These railroads are located as far away as Ohio and Florida, but are connected regionally to the entire national railroad track network.

Regional Rail recently acquired another small system in Ohio – Cincinnati Eastern.

Craumer said, “If you ever drank from a paper cup, it likely came on that line.”

East Penn carries supplies to many companies along southern Chester County including corn and cornmeal for Herr’s, flour for Tastykake, lumber, mushroom supplies and natural gas … to name just a few items.

The East Penn company is said to be thriving, running successfully now, after having moved past the threat of abandonment in 1972.

A group of local supporters, including late community activist Fred McCarthy, helped East Penn bounce back and become sustainable.

McCarthy’s son, former Kennett Square Police Chief Albert McCarthy, said his father testified locally and at the county level to keep the train because it was vital to the development of southern Chester County.

Other more recent supporters advocate for the train because it takes a tremendous amount of truck traffic off the roads.

Craumer, a 30-year veteran of East Penn, splits the operations of the 16 railroads with East Penn General Manager Zach Faubel.

Craumer, 50, said he started at the bottom of the company, spending his replacing railroad ties in the beginning.

He added that Regional Rail will remain a freight rail because passenger lines are much more costly to run and risk more insurance liability.