Santon Railway Station - Santa's Halt

Santa's Halt

The station has played host to Father Christmas and his enchanted grotto for several years from 1986 when the railway's popular Santa Trains terminated here, the station being renamed as Santa's Halt annually for this purpose. In more recent years this practice was discontinued and a much shorter run was introduced with Father Christmas passing among the passengers to distribute presents and trains only travelling as far as various points on the first section of the line prior to Port Soderick station. Happily, in 2008 the full run to Santon was reinstated, and a further two years of these services were provided. The grotto was constructed each December by panelling in the recessed passenger waiting shelter in the station building. The railway's three coach Bar Set of saloon coaches were placed in the siding at the station for provision of mulled wine, mince pies, tea, coffee and other refreshments and the area suitably decorated; the station renamed for the occasion which used to take place in the first two weekends of December. However, in 2010 a considerable revamp of the railway's established seasonal services saw the terminus moved from here to Castletown Station which was renamed Tinseltown for the occasion; although the Santa Trains do still pass each other at Santon still, no passenger facilities are located here and it is only manned by railway staff to ensure safe crossing of trains rather than for the purposes of passenger facilities.