Santa Express — North Yorkshire Moors Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs its Santa Express from Pickering Station. Passengers are welcomed by Santa's cheeky elves and then receive a personal visit from Santa on board, and every child receives a gingerbread man plush toy (20 cm tall) and a festive book to take home. The elves fill the journey with songs, games and festive fun.

The journey is an hour-long round trip between Pickering and Levisham. The elves named by the operator are Elton Elf, Chef Custard and Joey Marshmallow, along with Gingersnap, a gingerbread puppet who arrives after a mishap in the kitchen; throughout the show the elves help piece together what happened.

On the platform there is a Naughty or Nice scanner that stamps the ticket, Christmas-themed fete games, a gingerbread-man activity, a station to write and post a letter to Santa, festive sing-along performances on the event stage on Platform 2 and a Christmas Emporium. The tearooms and gift shop are on Platform 1.

A one-hour return journey on a heritage steam train with Santa and his elves on board, a gift for every child and festive activities at Pickering Station before or after the train. The operator suggests leaving extra time for the platform activities.

Trains depart from Pickering Station. A carer ticket and wheelchair user tickets are available online. A booking fee applies per booking. For fares by date, see the booking page.