CSX brings Holiday Express event to Erwin, Tenn. (revised and updated)

ERWIN, Tenn. — The building excitement was palpable. With the first sound of the chime air horn on CSX’s newest heritage unit, Clinchfield No. 1902, children were screaming in anticipation of the arrival of a special appearance of CSX’s Holiday Express train in Erwin on Thursday night, Nov. 21.

Preceding the 82nd running of the famed Santa Train today (Nov. 23) between Shelby, Ky. (Elkhorn City before 1980), and Kingsport, Tenn., the Thursday special was meant to boost the spirits and bring much needed Christmas cheer and hope to the many families to the south, along the Nolichucky and Toe Rivers. Hurricane Helene had decimated much of western North Carolina and east Tennessee in late September. The 40-some miles immediately south of Erwin through the Nolichucky Gorge and further upstream on the Toe River to Spruce Pine, N.C., suffered damage that was difficult to fathom. Miles of track through the gorge south of Erwin were draped into the river, with the roadbed and subgrade gone.

CSX’s former Clinchfield (known as the KP and Blue Ridge Subdivisions) has been through some rough patches over the past 10 years. Coal was mined and loaded far to the north in southwestern Virginia and eastern Kentucky, but railroaders in Erwin knew the 90-car unit trains that were inspected and serviced there were their bread and butter. The railroad — a jointly leased operation of the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio and operated by co-owners Louisville & Nashville and Atlantic Coast Line — once proudly billed itself as the “Quick Service, Short Route between the Central West and South East.” The heyday of heavy coal trains, hotshot freights, and perishable trains of dripping refrigerator cars pulled by fleet-footed 4-6-6-4s, and (after 1948) gray and yellow matched sets of EMD F7 cabs was only a memory for the oldest generations.

With the decline of thermal coal, CSX made the difficult decision in 2015 to mothball the railroad as a through route. The remaining train service was local, particularly in the industrial center of Kingsport. On the south end of the railroad coal was still delivered to the power plant at Brice, only it came south via the former SCL “A” line via Richmond. Worst of all for Erwin was closure of the entire terminal; remaining crew members were displaced to a new base of operations in Kingsport.

While a later management regime in Jacksonville later returned through freight service to the line, COVID annulled the annual Santa Train in 2020 and 2021. The late James Foote, who was then CEO, decided the reduced personnel available for train service was too thin to make the run in 2022, so it too was cancelled. Enter Joe Hinrichs. The CSX board replaced Foote on September 14, 2022, and one of Hinrichs’ first moves was to announce the Santa Train would return. This year marks the third run of the famed train under Hinrichs’ leadership. Long time observers agree, this might be the Santa Train’s finest era.

The Santa Train eased in Erwin, stopping beside a large field on the north end of the yard that had been transformed. A huge tent with thousands of Christmas lights had been erected, along with a stage with lighting and sound. The Clinchfield heritage unit brought smiles to residents who had faced so much loss and sorrow. The lights reflected off the gray flank of No. 1902 to reveal the familiar “CLINCHFIELD” in yellow lettering. It was a poignant moment. CSX’s three “executive” F40s came next, followed by four specially decorated blue boxcars with lighted Christmas graphics and “CSX Holiday Express” labeling. At the rear was the Santa car, and when the train stopped Saint Nick got off, accompanied by Hinrichs.

On stage at last, Hinrichs grabbed the microphone. “CSX’s predecessors first built a railroad through Erwin in 1890. When the hurricane destroyed over 40 miles of this railroad, naturally everyone wondered if CSX would rebuild. As you know, work is ongoing now, and CSX will bring back this railroad bigger and better than ever!”

Hinrich’s statement didn’t mention the enormity of the task, currently pegged at $200 million. Nonetheless, CSX and other partners pulled out all the stops to bring some optimism to Erwin and the surrounding area. Chick-fil-A sandwiches (5,000 in all), hot dogs, refreshments, and gift bags were distributed. Larger presentation checks for $5,000 each were presented to five local organizations assisting in flood relief efforts: the East Tennessee Foundation, United Way of East Tennesee Highlands, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, and Manna Foodbank. After opening speeches, Americana singer/songwriter Drew Holcomb blessed the stage and the audience with his talents.

Bryan Tucker, CSX’s VP of stakeholder engagement and sustainability, said CSX employees had appealed to top management to do something for Erwin. “We feel so privileged to be able to help this community,” he said. “We’ve been here for well over 100 years, and we’re here with them now for the next hundred to make sure we rebuild the railroad and the communities together.”