Santa's annual train visit delivers hope and magic to one corner of coal country

ON BOARD THE SANTA TRAIN (AP) — Since 1943, the people of Appalachian Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee have looked forward to Santa's arrival. Not in a sleigh on their rooftops, but on a train.

The Santa Train marks its 82nd running this year, bringing presents and joy to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the CSX rail line tucked into remote coal-country river valleys. Many of the children who line the tracks and wait for Santa on the Saturday before Thanksgiving are the third, fourth or fifth generation to do so.

“I look for it every year. I count the days down,” said Sandra Owens, of Haysi, Virginia, who held a pink pillowcase with a message in black ink, “Thank you CSX and volunteers for the Santa Train. 82.”

Owens moved to Kentucky from Delaware 55 years ago when she got married and experienced her first Santa Train a few years later, when her son turned 3. He is 46 now, and these days she brings her grandchildren. In a few more years, she hopes to bring great-grandchildren.

“The faces of the kids, that’s what makes me happy,” she said. "You can’t see anything better.”

The train starts out in Shelbiana, Kentucky, where families wait in the pre-dawn. At each stop there are dozens to hundreds of people. Many crowd around the back of the train, where Santa and his helpers toss stuffed animals. Meanwhile, groups of volunteer “elves” carrying bags full of gifts fan out, making sure every child goes home with something. Each year they hand out more than 15 tons of gifts that include hats, mittens and fuzzy blankets along with board games, skate boards and teddy bears.

Donna Doughetry from Snowflake, Virginia, remembers coming to see the Santa Train as a child in nearby Fort Blackmore.

“Years back, we didn't get a lot,” she said. “So back then this was kind of what we got, and we were proud of it. It meant a lot to us.”

Over the years, her kids have at times received handmade gifts from the Santa Train, like crocheted hats, which they still have and cherish.

Even though it is easier for people in these isolated, rural communities to buy Christmas presents these days, Dougherty made the short trek to Fort Blackmore with her niece on Saturday, carrying on the family tradition that she is glad she can still share.

“It’s really nice that they do this,” she said. “It shows the true Christmas spirit.”

CSX employees consider it an honor to be chosen to staff the Santa Train as volunteers. Jesse Hensley had been trying to get a spot for 35 years, ever since he met his wife, Angie, who grew up with the Santa Train in St. Paul, Virginia.

“It was such a thrill when we heard that whistle blow,” she remembered. “When I was a little girl, you know, you have dreams. My dream was to ride that train. Never in my life did I ever think that I would get to.”

The pair was selected to ride the train this year because they volunteered countless hours after the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene devastated their community of Erwin, Tennessee, where Jesse Hensley works as a machinist mechanic for CSX.

The Santa Train doesn't run to Erwin, but CSX added a special event this year to bring cheer to the community. Residents were invited to a holiday party with food, music, and gifts in the Erwin rail yard. Santa paid a visit on train with cars decked out in lights forming the shapes of ornaments, moving jingle bells, marching toy soldiers, and the words “Holiday Express” in giant red letters.

Two days later, Angie Hensley was all smiles on the Santa Train and nearly as excited as the children she helped distribute toys to, including grandnieces and grandnephews in St. Paul. The joy of helping on the Santa Train was even better than she had imagined, she said.

Her fellow volunteers included CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs, who got off at every stop, handing out toys and talking to those who had come to see the train. Hinrichs' best memory so far was at a stop a couple of years ago when a family brought a disabled child but were hanging back from the train to avoid the tussle of the crowd. Helpers cleared a path to bring the boy forward and gave him a giant teddy bear they had saved for a special occasion.

“We brought it out there, and everybody got around it, and we gave it to him. And there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere,” Hinrichs said. "It was a magical moment.”

People leave after a visit of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Haysi, Va. The train brings presents to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the railroad line in rural Appalachian Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A volunteer tosses toys to people during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kermit, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Kameron Powell rests in a box car during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Dante, Va. The train brings presents to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the railroad line in rural Appalachian Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People reach for toys tossed from the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Elkhorn City, Ky. The train brings presents to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the railroad line in rural Appalachian Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Sandra Owens holds a sign thanking volunteers during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Haysi, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Angie Hensley waves to people during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in St. Paul, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Members of the Twin Springs high school band perform during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Dungannon, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People make their way to the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Elkhorn City, Ky. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Diana Sorfleet prepares a gift bag during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Dante, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Santa Claus tosses toys to people during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Dante, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Brooklyn McCoy reacts to a gift she received during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Dungannon, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Santa Claus waves to people during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kermit, Va. The train brings presents to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the railroad line in rural Appalachian Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Khylin Barber reacts to a gift she received during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Dungannon, Va. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Ilizabeth White delivers gift bags to children during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Fremont, Va. The train brings presents to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the railroad line in rural Appalachian Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Eden Jordan, left, poses for her father Tim Jordan, right, in front of the CSX Holiday Express, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. The railway company held a celebration and concert for the town affected by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The CSX Holiday Express arrives, in Erwin, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. The railway company held a celebration and concert for the town affected by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

People wave to Santa Claus during a visit of theCSX Holiday Express, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Santa Claus waves to children during a visit of the CSX Holiday Express, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. The railway company held a celebration and concert for the town affected by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Jay Stiltner, 7, waits for soft toys to be thrown by volunteers during the 82nd run of the CSX Santa Train, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Marrowbone, Ky. The train brings presents to small towns along a 110-mile portion of the railroad line in rural Appalachian Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Santa Claus waves to children during a visit of the CSX Holiday Express Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. The railway company held a celebration and concert for the town affected by Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is set to create a National Energy Council that he says will establish American “energy dominance” around the world as he seeks to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and move away from President Joe Biden’s focus on climate change.

The energy council — to be led by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s choice to head the Interior Department — will be key in Trump’s pledge to “drill, drill, drill" and sell more oil and other energy sources to allies in Europe and around the globe.

The new council will be granted sweeping authority over federal agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation and transportation, with a mandate to cut bureaucratic red tape, enhance private sector investments and focus on innovation instead of “totally unnecessary regulation,” Trump said.

But the president-elect's energy wishes are likely to run into real-world limits. For one, U.S. oil production under Biden is already at record levels. The federal government cannot force companies to drill for more oil, and production increases could lower prices and reduce profits.

A call for energy dominance — a term Trump also used in his first term as president — "is an opportunity, not a requirement,'' for the oil industry to move forward on drilling projects under terms that are likely to be more favorable to industry than those offered by Biden, said energy analyst Kevin Book.

Whether Trump achieves energy dominance — however he defines it — "comes down to decisions by private companies, based on how they see supply-demand balances in the global marketplace,'' said Book, managing partner at ClearView Energy Partners, a Washington research firm. Don't expect an immediate influx of new oil rigs dotting the national landscape, he said.

Trump's bid to boost oil supplies — and lower U.S. prices — is complicated by his threat this week to impose 25% import tariffs on Canada and Mexico, two of the largest sources of U.S. oil imports. U.S. The oil industry warned the tariffs could raise prices and even harm national security.

“Canada and Mexico are our top energy trading partners, and maintaining the free flow of energy products across our borders is critical for North American energy security and U.S. consumers,” said Scott Lauermann, speaking for the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry’s top lobbying group.

American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, which represents U.S. refineries, also opposes potential tariffs, saying in a statement that “American refiners depend on crude oil from Canada and Mexico to produce the affordable, reliable fuels consumers count on every day."

Scott Segal, a former Bush administration official, said the idea of centering energy decisions at the White House follows an example set by Biden, who named a trio of White House advisers to lead on climate policy. Segal, a partner at the law and policy law firm Bracewell, called Burgum “a steady hand on the tiller” with experience in fossil fuels and renewables.

And unlike Biden’s climate advisers — Gina McCarthy, John Podesta and Ali Zaidi — Burgum will probably take his White House post as a Senate-confirmed Cabinet member, Segal said.

Dustin Meyer, senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, called the new energy council “a good thing” for the U.S. economy and trade. “Conceptually it makes a lot of sense to have as much coordination as possible,” he said.

Still, “market dynamics will always be the key'' for any potential increase in energy production, Meyer said.

Jonathan Elkind, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, called energy dominance a “deliberately vague concept,” but said, “It's hard to see how (Trump) can push more oil into an already saturated market."

Trump has promised to bring gasoline prices below $2 a gallon, but experts call that highly unlikely, since crude oil prices would need to drop dramatically to achieve that goal. Gas prices averaged $3.07 nationally as of Wednesday, down from $3.25 a year ago.

Elkind and other experts said they hope the new energy council will move beyond oil to focus on renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal power, as well as nuclear. None of those energy resources produces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

"Failure to focus on climate change as an existential threat to our planet is a huge concern and translates to a very significant loss of American property and American lives,'' said Elkind, a former assistant energy secretary in the Obama administration. He cited federal statistics showing two dozen weather disasters this year that caused more than $1 billion in damage each. A total of 418 people were killed.

Trump has played down risks from climate change and pledged to rescind unspent money in the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s landmark climate and health care bill. He also said he will stop offshore wind development when he returns to the White House in January.

Even so, his Nov. 15 announcement of the energy council says he will “expand ALL forms of energy production to grow our Economy and create good-paying jobs.”

That includes renewables, said Safak Yucel, associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

"The mandate for the energy council is U.S. dominance globally, but what's more American than American solar and American wind?'' he asked. A report from Ernst & Young last year showed that solar was the cheapest source of new-build electricity in many markets.

Trump, in his statement, said he wants to dramatically increase baseload power to lower electricity costs, avoid brownouts and “WIN the battle for AI superiority."

In comments to reporters before he was named to the energy post, Burgum cited a similar goal, noting increased demand for electricity from artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI, and fast-growing data centers. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to health care to education to productivity as a country,″ Burgum said.

While Trump mocks the climate law as the “green new scam,” he is unlikely to repeal it, Yucel and other experts said. One reason: Most of its investments and jobs are in Republican congressional districts. GOP members of Congress have urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to retain the law, which passed with only Democratic votes.

“A lot of Southern states are telling Trump, ‘We actually like renewables,'" Yucel said, noting that Republican-led states have added thousands of jobs in recent years in wind, solar and battery power.

If renewables make economic economic sense, he added, "they'll continue.''

President-elect Donald Trump arrives before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP)

FILE - Gov. Doug Burgum, R-ND., speaks during the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)

FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pa., as moderator South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)