Santa Claus arrived by train in Drama to hand out gifts to children

Santa Claus in a driver’s role led the locomotive that will bring him in to meet young and old, sharing symbolic gifts for the coming of the new year. The picturesque train station in Drama, dating from 1896, today, New Year’s Eve filled life again, children’s voices and smiles thanks to the initiative taken by members of the “Ephaistos” railway club, to revive for another year a beautiful celebration that for a number of years was a reference to the festive climate of Drama ADVERSE The celebration of Santa’s arrival by train began in 1980 and by 2013 was held every stay New Year’s Eve, creating a very beautiful climate in the railway station, which was still teeming with people, since train routes were dense, was a key means of transport for eastern Macedonia and the wider area and there was no current downgrade. In 2013, with the advent of the economic crisis, the division of the OSE, the retirement of many railway employees, this celebration was interrupted. Since 2020 efforts to revive it began but due to the coronavirus pandemic it was re-announced. Since 2021, this beautiful festival has been revived again. CORVERSE Rail employees and members of the “Ephaistos” club are happy to find that the children of the 1980s and 1990s, who lived close to that festival, became parents and bring their own children to the New Year’s event. It is worth pointing out that the Drama Railway Association operates in recent years a Train Museum, located a few meters away from the railway station building. A very large part of local railway history is preserved in the museum hall, through objects, photographs, accessories and old impressive cars. Recently, the club rented the old freight building of the railway station and moved there all the exhibits, while new spaces were created, which house the club’s activities and events.