Boothbay regioners and visitors alike enjoyed the scenery and magic of the North Pole Express at Boothbay Railway Village once again. Children were invited to write Santa Claus a postcard before heeding the “All aboard” call at the historic Freeport Station for a ride around the Village.

The train made a scheduled stop at the North Pole (Thorndike Station) to welcome aboard Santa who came prepared, bag in hand, to collect his mail personally. The jolly old elf made his way through the cars one by one to visit every child who came to meet him.

The journey came full circle to Freeport Station where families disembarked to enjoy the festivities in the Village. At Spruce Point Chapel, families enjoyed a reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” and a local favorite, “Reginald, the Railway Rat.” Harrington House was decked out in full 1940s holiday glory and the 1847 Boothbay town hall hosted guests with cookies and hot chocolate as the museum’s train model choo-chooed around and about the Village’s Christmas tree. 

The North Pole Express will run for one more weekend – Saturday, Dec. 22 and Sunday, Dec. 23. Train departure times will be 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. with an additional trip at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Buying tickets in advance can avoid long waits. For more information, visit https://railwayvillage.org/event/north-pole-express