Santa Claus arrived at the Williams Street stop in Williamston during the 10th annual Santa Train event, the third of four stops on Saturday. Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail

Liam Colbert, 4, was excited to see Santa, or so his mother said.

When Liam sat on Santa's lap, inside of a train caboose in Williamston, he was a bit shy and didn't say anything.

Liam's brother, 6-year-old Eli, made up for it by reciting a long list of wishes.

Colbert came, with about a dozen family and friends to see Santa on the Greenville & Western Railway Company's 10th annual Santa Express.

Some of them have been before, but it was the first time for Colbert and her children. It won't be their last time, she said.

The train makes several stops in Anderson County, letting kids get into the caboose where they get to meet Santa for free and walk away with goodie bags.

This year there was a baseball, a coloring book, a drawstring backpack, other trinkets and a Bible. There were coffee mugs for the grown-ups.

When Santa and the train moved on to the next stop, Colbert and her friends and family, like a lot of others, walked a few blocks to the Williamston parade.

It's a big dose of Christmas, said Jennifer Henderson, who, over the course of a decade, has gotten more and more of her friends and family to come to the Santa Express.

Henderson and Colbert were in the front of the line, waiting almost two hours until they heard the toot of the train as it wound down the tracks. As the toots grew louder and came from right around the bend, the crowd of about 75 people shouted in joy.

Santa waved, hanging off the back of the red caboose as the train came to a stop.

A few of the 60 rail employees and other volunteers, scampered around putting up stools so the children could climb aboad.

Inside, Santa sits on a large bench and welcomes children for a picture and a rundown of their wish list.

It was a laptop for Brayden, 7, and a Nerf gun for his brother Codi, 6, said their mother Krystal McGrew.

One of the boldest gift ideas came from Brianna Henderson, who was with the Colbert and Henderson group at the front of the line.

Brianna, 10, asked for a pig.

"A real one," she said. "I want to keep one. I'd name it Hambone."

Santa didn't say yes or no, Brianna said, so she'll have to wait and see.

The crowds were not as big as they were in 2015, said Steven Hawkins, who owns the railroad.

He said between 800 and 1,000 people would see Santa aboard the train on Saturday, but that was less than half of the 2015 crowd.

Hawkins said he suspects Facebook posts reached more people last year, but the 2016 crowd is comparable to the other years he's run the Christmas train through the Upstate.

"It's been beautiful weather," he said. "A little cold but that just makes it more Christmassy."

The train is half of the draw for Noah Sizemore, who is almost 2 years old, said his mother, Nicole Sizemore of Easley.

Noah has a Thomas the Train track at home and lights up when he see trains, she said.

He wore the standard railroad uniform: coveralls and a white and red plaid shirt so he could be properly dressed to meet Santa, Sizemore said.

Coming to the train has been a family tradition for a decade, said Tom Hill, of Honea Path.

His daughter Lorelai, 12, can't remember her first time on Santa's lap on the train but she remembers climbing aboard her entire life.

After they hopped off the other end of the caboose, her younger brother, 5-year-old Lucas, dug into his goodie bag, immediately seizing on a chocolate bar.

Asked if he liked the Santa Express, Lucas gave a thumbs up, his mouth full of chocolate.

"This is all he's been talking about all week," Tom Hill said. ""As long as they're doing this with the train, we'll be coming out here."

Follow Mike Ellis on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM

Read or Share this story: