The 84th edition of the CSX Santa Train will be rolling through the mountains of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee on Nov. 21, 2026.
Along the 110-mile route, Santa Claus and a host of volunteers will distribute more than 15,000 toys, gifts and winter accessories to families.
Santa and crew will depart from Shelby, Ky., at 6 a.m., making stops at Marrowbone and Elkhorn City before entering into Virginia.
Stops are scheduled for Tom’s Bottom, Haysi, Clincho, and Fremont before arriving in Dante at 10:08 a.m. The next local stop will be in St. Paul at 10:53 a.m.
From there the CSX Santa Train will make stops in Dungannon, Kermit, and Waycross before ending the day in Kingsport, Tennessee around 3 p.m.
“As we look ahead to a new year, we’re reminded that the CSX Santa Train is about so much more than a journey along the tracks. It’s about bringing people together, creating moments of joy and carrying traditions forward from one generation to the next,” said Tom Livingston, vice president of Government and Community Affairs at CSX. “The warmth of the communities that welcome the CSX Santa Train and the support from people across the country remind us why this tradition has endured for generations.”
The Santa Train began in 1943 as the “Santa Claus Special.” It was created by the Merchants Bureau of Kingsport as an effort to thank families who traveled to the city to do their shopping.
The train has operated every year since, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID.
