(narrator) Beneath snowcapped mountains, across icy glens, and through frosted forests, Britain's railways travel a landscape like no other.

(train fireman) You never get bored of that view.

You've basically got a winter wonderland right on your back doorstep.

(narrator) For the teams protecting the network... (mechanic) Some people, they can't understand why we do it.

Because you're up in the morning, you're getting covered in dirt.

But that's my whole atmosphere.

And that's what it's all about.

(narrator) ...for the volunteers preserving our steam heritage... (volunteer) Makes it a bit difficult firing in this, really.

(narrator) ...and for the passengers riding the trains... (indistinct chatter) (elf woman) Merry Christmas!

(narrator) ...the spectacular views... (indistinct chatter) ...and the incredible journeys are all part of the magic of Britain's Scenic Railways at Christmas.

(female passenger) I just felt like a kid again.

It was so lovely cause it was so magical and you just go into another world.

(inspiring theme music) ♪ (train whistles) ♪ (jingling bells) (narrator) The Strathspey Railway runs through the Cairngorms National Park along ten miles of the old Speyside Line which ran along the River Spey.

♪ Maintained and operated by volunteers, today is a big day at the Aviemoor train sheds.

It's the first service of the festive season.

And 17-year-old volunteer Matthew Murphy is working as fireman on today's Mince Pie Special.

But it's been a tough start to his shift.

(Matthew) So I overcooked the fire, first thing as well, so there's too much coal which meant a helluva lot of smoke coming back and not a lot of the heat going through.

(narrator) The conditions outside aren't helping.

A winter storm has left debris on the track and temperatures have plummeted.

To make make matters worse, the locomotive boiler has leaked overnight.

So Matthew has had to refill it with cold water, lowering the engine temperature.

Now he needs the fire to start raising some steam pressure.

(Matthew) This is the gauge that I'm worried about at the moment.

There now you see, it's barely reading anything.

At this point in time, I want it at well over a hundred.

I want to be waiting on the driver, rather than the driver waiting on me.

(narrator) The slow start has put them behind schedule for the first festive train journey of the season.

The Mince Pie Special.

(Maureen) Oh, that's fine.

Well, maybe get more in the platform and get them to wait at the board?

(narrator) Station Master Maureen Cuthbertson is doing her best to stay warm and keep up the festive mood.

(Maureen) I always feel festive cheer.

I maybe don't show it but I just tend to rush about a wee bit more.

Got my hat on and I've got my jumper.

Normally I would just wear my jumper and no jacket or anything like that but it's just far too cold today.

(narrator) Working today's special with Matthew is driver Martin McLeod who has over thirty years steam experience under his belt.

(Martin) It's like most jobs, it's dead easy when things are right.

It's knowing what to do when things go wrong.

We will hopefully make it in time for the 11:00 train.

(upbeat music) ♪ (narrator) With the steam pressure finally starting to build, they can get moving.

(Martin) I think we're winning.

We'll get there eventually.

(Matthew) Now that we've got some steam going through the boiler and we got the blower going, the gauge has flown up.

Once you get that little bit, five, ten pounds of pressure you really are flying.

(string music) ♪ (narrator) The crew head off to couple up with the carriages at Aviemoor Station where Station Master Maureen is keeping an eye on the festive schedule.

So we've not done too badly, we've made up some time.

Which is good.

(narrator) The Strathspey Railway carries over 80,000 visitors every year, as passengers board vintage carriages for their journey through Britain's largest national park.

Today's Mince Pie Special is going down a treat.

(train guest) We've always been here in the summer but it's quite nice in the winter.

'Cause you can see all the snow.

It's different-- it's a bit cold today.

But it's nice in here, it's nice and cozy.

Very festive.

Few months old, so this'll be his first Christmas He's been in the train but yeah, first trip on the steam train.

So it's a bit special for him this year.

(train guest #2) We moved here last year and we've always just wanted to come to the steam train.

We found there's something so special about the train ride.

All the volunteers that come to help make it such a great time.

And we're just lucky to come in the festive season.

(little girl) Can't wait for Christmas.

(narrator) Two of the passengers enjoying the festivities are Strathspey crew member Steve Robinson and rail enthusiast Ian Lamb.

As a boy, Ian rode the steam services to Glasgow on family shopping trips.

(Ian) The main thing was Lewis's it was such an attraction.

And in 1954, which was my 13th Christmas, I actually found at the bottom of my bed a Hornby Dublo train set.

And that as me set on railways ever more.

And I only found out recently from my elder brother that in order that I could have that, they had to give up their Christmas present.

Because post-war we didn't have the money for large Christmas presents for all family members.

So it's a nice Christmas story and quite a humbling one.

Ever since, I do everything I can to encourage young people to enjoy Christmas.

Especially with a train set.

(Steve laughs) (cheerful chiming music) ♪ (melodic piano music) ♪ (narrator) The Cairngorms are an ancient wilderness of high mountains encircled by beautiful valleys and Caledonian pine woods teeming with wildlife.

Reindeer have lived here since they were reintroduced in 1952.

A herd of over 150 now graze in the mountainsides as part of the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd.

Christmas is a busy time of year for the reindeer and is peak season for the staff who look after them and for owner, Tilly Smith.

(Tilly) Well, there's been an absolute flurry of activity.

We've got teams going away over the weekend and doing events and so we've been bringing our teams off the hill and that means there's quite a long walk over the bridge, up the other side, catch the reindeer bring them down, feed them, and then send them off with the transport.

♪ La, la!

There's a good girl.

Oh, she says "That's very nice, thank you very much."

This is their favorite food, lichen.

(narrator) Lichens grow naturally in the Scottish hills and was spotted by reindeer herder Mikel Utsi who visited the Cairngorms in 1947.

Struck by the similarities to his homeland of northern Sweden, reindeer were reintroduced and have thrived here ever since.

(Tilly) We do quite a lot of events away from home, but also at the Centre.

We have Christmas fun at the Reindeer Centre and people come here and like to see the reindeer in preparation for the big night.

So they ask the questions of how they fly, when they fly, is it magic?

It's all magic.

And what Santa does on Christmas Eve, he sprinkles stardust on the lichen and that makes them fly.

We've got teams going down south and some teams staying in Scotland, and of course, we're coming locally to Boat of Garten as well to the Strathspey Steam Railway.

♪ Back at Aviemoor, it's a busy morning inside the kitchen carriages of the Strathspey Railway.

Preparations are in full-swing for the arrival of a special Christmas train that will arrive from Edinburgh later today.

Catering manager Vanessa leads a happy band of Strathspey volunteers.

(Vanessa) That's it.

I can't get it over your glasses.

There we go.

I feel festive every weekend at the moment.

We always wear Santa jumpers and everything, don't we?

So I've nearly got all the Christmas presents as well.

Yeah, we are quite festive on these trains, aren't we?

We've started eating mince pies as well, now.

(narrator) They've got their work cut out, preparing 300 lunches for the passengers on board the Santa Express, which is making its way north to the Highlands.

(Vanessa) We're sort of organized now, yes.

So, I was quite calm about all this until people kept saying, "You're taking on an epic task," and I'm thinking, "Are we?"

♪ (relaxing music) (narrator) On board the Santa Express, the first glimpse of snow causes great excitement.

(woman on train) Oh, look at it!

(indistinct cheerful chatter) ♪ The kids think they're at the North Pole.

♪ (narrator) Next stop, the Highlands and a visit from Santa.

Ho, ho, ho.

(string music) (narrator) Back at the Strathspey Railway at Aviemoor, the winter weather has caused delays to this morning's festive Mince Pie Special.

Volunteer Matthew recently passed out as a qualified fireman, so this morning has been a baptism of fire.

(Matthew) We've had problems getting steam up in the mornings.

We were late getting to the station.

We then had three trees and a bush on the line.

So we're about an hour late in leaving, we're the first train, that's meant to take two hours.

It's...you know, we didn't need it, but we're on our way now.

So we're getting-- we're getting there.

(plucky music) (narrator) Just as the locomotive gets up to speed, a four-legged intruder appears on the track.

♪ -Is it okay?

-No, he's still here, slow down, slow down.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

♪ Wait, on your side, got 'em?

(steam hissing) ♪ (narrator) With the daredevil dog crisscrossing in front of the train, the crew have no choice but to make an emergency stop.

(engineer) It ran right in front of me there.

(Matthew) Yeah, yeah, no, I saw him.

(train gears grind) Yeah, yeah, the dog's fine, the dog's fine.

But it's one of these things, well, let's not do that on a Christmas train, you know?

(narrator) Matthew has been volunteering since he was 11 years old.

He's building a future within Heritage Railways and has won a sought after apprenticeship here at Strathspey.

(Matthew) Well, I've always been interested in steam engines, like, since I was about 18 months old, according to my mother.

So it's a lifelong disease.

I'm not getting rid of this.

(narrator) At Boat of Garten Station, Matthew must brave the winter conditions to take on water.

(Matthew) Oh, my goodness.

Days like today don't happen often, and it's brilliant if you've got somebody like Martin who's got 30 years' experience under his belt, he's probably had this day, he's probably had the exact same day as me and he knows what to do.

These are the days that you learn, really.

The days where everything goes wrong is the day where you learn the most.

(narrator) As some festive cheer replaces this morning's stress, Matthew can relax into his firing.

Back on the line, a locomotive gets up a head of steam... (train whistles) ..and the snow-covered Cairngorms bring a festive flourish to today's journey.

(Matthew) This is like my favorite part of the railway.

This is my favorite part of the railway because you never get bored of that view.

It's one of the reasons we're one of the best preserved railways in Britain, in my opinion, is because we've got the fantastic scenery to help us.

You've basically got a winter wonderland right on your back doorstep.

It's absolutely fantastic, you know, you can't beat it.

(festive music) (narrator) Christmas is an important time of the year for Britain's Heritage Railways.

When Santa Claus comes to town, it's often by steam train and Santa Specials have been a firm favorite with steam enthusiasts young and old for over 40 years.

(festive jingly music) ♪ At the Severn Valley Railway, preparations are under way for the first of four festive services running this year.

♪ Revived by a group of dedicated supporters 56 years ago, the Severn Valley Railway wouldn't be able to run without their committed team of over 1,600 volunteers.

Wasn't straight.

(narrator) And today, at the Bridgnorth train sheds, volunteer driver Stephen and volunteer fireman James are preparing Locomotive 75069 for this evening's Christmas service.

♪ (Stephen) Some people, they can't understand why we do it, Because you get your hands dirty, you're up in the morning, you're getting covered in dirt.

But that's the whole atmosphere and that's what it's all about and it's just wonderful.

(James) It's the romance of steam, as they say.

I'm not too keen on just going to sort of see one go past.

I'd sooner look at the prep side of it and how it all works.

That's what I really enjoy.

(Stephen) This is the world's slowest oil can.

My dad, when I was a lad, he built a Hornby Dublo 3 Rail model railway in the living room, I got heavily attached to it and one holiday when we were in Norfolk, I ended up having a footplate ride on a Norwegian engine, believe it or not.

And that was it.

And it's really worth doing.

It's almost an addiction.

It's an addictive hobby.

(James) Give everything a wipe over so you wipe over all the controls that we'll be using.

So that one, very important.

We can't open that without getting dirty.

Can't put any coal in.

♪ (narrator) Engine 75069 is just one of 25 locomotives either running, being restored, or on permanent display.

The engine house is also home to the railway's archives, and today, archivist Rob Weil is visiting to trawl through the records for memories of Christmas past.

(Rob) Ah, here we have some old "See Santa Claus By Steam."

That's from 1975, third class return fare, adult 60p, children 30p.

I think it's probably reasonable to say that the Severn Valley was one of the first steam organizations to run Santa trains.

It was a great profit earner.

(narrator) The archive room at the engine house is a treasure trove, documenting the development of the Severn Valley Railway.

All sorts of things filed away in year order.

From 1967, we have the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Severn Valley Railway Company Limited.

And here in 1971, we commemorated one year of public running with an anniversary dance of the railway, and the ticket price then was just 50p, ten shillings.

♪ (narrator) Today's trawl through the archives is a reminder of how times have changed and how much has been achieved by the railways' legion of volunteers.

(Rob) I think all the volunteers on the railway have a degree of pride.

They keep coming back time and time again.

(indistinct radio chatter) Receiving.

(narrator) One of the most familiar faces at the Severn Valley Railway is Chris Thomas.

(Chris) As far as the watering is concerned, I need to get you out as fast as we can at the moment.

-That's the guard.

-Yeah, I know.

(narrator) Chris has spent ten years as station master at Bridgnorth.

(Chris) Is the train neat and tidy?

(narrator) He remembers the early days of the Santa Specials as an age of innocence.

(Chris) When we first started doing it, it was a case of a train to see Santa and Santa will see you and give you a present and you got the train back and that was fine.

People loved it.

But of course, over the years, people's expectations have got greater, people's expectations are a little bit more sophisticated than they were, so we've had to upgrade accordingly.

♪ (narrator) This evening's festive experience starts on the station platform as the passengers arrive for their steam train ride.

(Chris) This is the performance of the Cacklers, who are allegedly the old-fashioned miners.

(cackler) Oh, brilliant, am I in there?

(Chris) So they're telling a story about old-fashioned style of mining in the valley.

And, of course, it was a mining area, so it tells the story of that, and it introduces you to what you're going to see on the line-side displays as you go down the line.

So very shortly we will have the train run in, and that will give you a grand entrance.

Excuse me a minute.

SM to steam driver and guard.

Please enter station.

(train whistle blasts) It lights up coach by coach as it runs in.

(twinkly music) ♪ There's a lot of computerized kit behind this.

It may be an old-fashioned engine, but the kit inside the train is anything but old-fashioned.

♪ (narrator) The Steam In Lights Christmas Special makes its grand entrance to Bridgnorth Station for the first running of this year's festive steam season.

♪ Many of the passengers are volunteers at the railway, and have entered into the Christmas spirit with Santa hats and festive costumes.

On the footplate, Stephen and James have nailed their big reveal.

As the passengers board, they await the guard's signal to begin tonight's steam adventure.

But there's a problem.

(James) At the moment there's an issue with one of the generators that powers all the lights.

If there's no Christmas lights, there's no Steam In Lights.

We can't really have Steam In Darkness, so it's got to be fixed before we get going.

(narrator) Britain's railways travel some 20,000 miles of track, carrying passengers through rugged landscapes and picture-postcard routes voted some of the world's top train journeys.

Keeping the line safe are a team of expert engineers on hand to inspect and protect the railway from the sky across water, and over land.

Life on the railway!

(narrator) A vital cog in the national effort is the mobile operations team.

Network Rail's first responders, who deal with faults or incidents on the railway.

(Alex) It does take a lot of work just to come out to make sure that this bit of line is fit for service.

(narrator) In the Scottish Highlands, Alex Campbell's patch stretches across 200 miles including the majestic Cairngorm Mountains.

(Alex) It's great to see the different textures, the different colors, the white of the hills.

We've not got too much here just now, but it just makes you alive.

It's great to see.

(piano music) (narrator) The Cairngorms National Park was created in 2003, and is home to Britain's highest mountain range.

Cutting through the Cairngorms is the Highland Main Line Railway.

Running 118 miles through glorious countryside, this important route links the towns and villages dotted along the line from Inverness to Perth.

(Alex) This route here is quite important to have and to keep open.

Especially at this time of year, through the winter.

(narrator) Today, Alex needs to inspect the boundary fencing alongside this stretch of the Highland Main Line.

We try and do, I'd say, 100 yards per trip.

You'll get a lot of deer coming down to feed now.

It's great when you're a passenger on the train, you're coming down, seeing the scenery and the snow, see the deer in the field and you're saying, "Oh, look at this, Mummy!"

But from the railway point of view, it can cause a lot of problems.

This isn't going to stop the deer coming in, but it is a deterrent at times.

♪ (narrator) Keeping the line clear for passenger services is vital, but the Highland Main Line is also a key route for freight.

Regular cargo trains head north every day, making it a lifeline to Highland communities and the far north of Scotland.

(Alex) We need to make it more viable for the freight to come up, make it more appealing.

That's what we aim to do.

We've got the Tesco train comes up here every morning, brings about 20 wagons up from Coatbridge.

That's our Christmas dinner!

When we're out in this biting cold, and we want to go back in and just get a wee bit of Brussels sprouts, which is, blah, don't like Brussels sprouts!

(narrator) Much of the Highland Main Line is single track.

So if a train breaks down or gets stuck here, it could cause huge delays.

And the winter weather has stranded many a train along this stretch of the line in the 160 years since it was first laid.

(Alex) In the wintertime, when it is really bad here, it does blow through quite bad snow, we can come down here and have to start digging snow and let trains that are stranded here.

(narrator) Today, the track is clear, but when the snow returns, Alex and his team will be out in the snow plow, keeping the line open.

(gentle pattering) When services are running smoothly, Alex is equipped to capture some of the spectacular landscape he calls his office.

(Alex) I'm just going to try and grab a shot for the social-media team of ScotRail, of one of their trains passing.

(spritely music) Oh, there it comes now.

Excellent!

(narrator) A northbound service running smoothly through this Highland winter scene means Alex can go home happy.

(Alex) One picture out of two hours flying can make the whole day worthwhile.

♪ (upbeat music) ♪ (narrator) Winding its way through the heart of West Yorkshire, the five-mile journey along the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway offers a unique way of enjoying the beautiful countryside immortalized in the novels of the Bronte sisters.

At Oxenhope Station, preparations are under way for a busy Christmas season.

Inside the exhibition shed, the railway's army of volunteers are hard at work creating a winter wonderland.

(Tom) This is where everybody comes before they get on the train.

There's a bar, the pantry, the shop, trees, lights, and then come through here, go out on the way to the train.

Just like a holding pen, really, for happy Christmas people.

(narrator) The race is on to be ready for the start of the festive services and the much-anticipated return of The Elf Express.

(Tom) It's one of our biggest revenues.

It's also historic.

Every railway in the country does something similar, so it's a bit of a competition to see who has the best theme going on, and a lot of it comes down to volunteers.

♪ Every heritage attraction relies heavily on volunteers.

We've got in the region of near 600 altogether, and you get a whole age range and scope of skill that come and do everything from fitting tinsel to a bar to fixing a locomotive and building something new for one.

Without them, we wouldn't survive, simple.

About there?

(narrator) Steven Tipton started volunteering at the railway three years ago as a guard on the trains, but today he's been given a more creative role: to build a winter snowscape.

(Steven) The trick is getting all the wires and things hidden away, making sure they all work.

I don't want to block the engines off too much because people come to the railway, obviously, to look at the engines as well as meet Santa.

I'm a bit of a "bah, humbug", me, I'm afraid.

I have joked a few times with people, and particularly my wife I don't do this at home.

So I come here and do this, and it's, like, totally alien!

♪ I'm not very artistic, so I'm just plonking 'em in at the moment, see how they look, and then we can have a play around later.

♪ Yeah, it looks quite good there.

♪ (narrator) At the Haworth train shed, Fireman Tom Kay is leading the decoration of an old favorite.

(Tom) Put these on the buffers.

(narrator) Locomotive 41241 is one of the engines working this year's Elf Express.

(Tom) Have we got any cable ties?

(narrator) Earlier this year, Tom was part of a team carrying out major repairs on the engine.

(Tom) It's always nice to go out on kind of your own engine, when you've done all the work on it.

(man) Do you want red tinsel or red tinsel?

(Tom) We'll go for some red tinsel, I think.

(narrator) Tom's family has been part of the railway's fabric since its earliest days.

(Tom) My grandma, my grandad, they used to work on the Santa Train, sorting out all the presents and everything.

Santa use to make my dad do some daft things, like getting him up and getting him singing for the train.

Just good memories, really, and it's still the same now when you see kids' faces all lighting up.

It makes doing this all worthwhile.

Next one after this, then.

(man) Like a jigsaw piece.

♪ (Tom) Here you go, all right, last bit.

(festive holiday music) ♪ (narrator) Edinburgh is a city which embraces Christmas.

Visitors flock here to enjoy the festive lights of the Botanics... (Santa) Hello, there, my darlings!

(narrator) ..to shop at the famous street markets, and savor the festive atmosphere of a historic city.

Right, Alan, here's one hot dog.

I love it, I love the buzz every year.

Yeah, it's great, absolutely fantastic.

(woman) It's Christmas every day here, which is always very nice for the whole of December!

(woman #2) We did come to Edinburgh because of all the Christmas lights and the market.

This is our introduction to Christmas this year, and we're here for the mulled wine in particular.

(narrator) Many of these visitors come through Edinburgh's Waverley Station, which has proud Christmas traditions of its own.

To lift the post-war public mood in 1945, it became the first mainline train station in Scotland to put up a Christmas tree.

And for many years, Waverley Station welcomed Santa Specials when festive steam trains rolled into the platforms.

(folksy guitar music) This year, ScotRail has revived the tradition, and the Santa Express is heading north to Boat Of Garten in the Highlands.

Boat Of Garten Station has been closed to rail travelers since 1965.

The only way to visit these days is to ride the Strathspey Railway.

Boat Of Garten is one of three stations along this heritage railway line.

(Matthew) This is my favorite station, this is the favorite station.

(narrator) 17-year-old volunteer Matthew Murphy is a fireman at Strathspey, but today he's taken on a different role.

(Matthew) Today, I'm "platform supervisor" for platform 2 and 3, just to make sure everything runs smoothly and that there's no questions from ScotRail crew, passengers, our lot.

Last week I was firing a steam engine, I was black with dust.

And this day, I'm as close to as clean as a whistle as I can possibly be!

(narrator) While Matthew looks the part, a true taste of the Highlands has arrived.

(Tilly) Hello, my boys!

(narrator) Tilly has brought along her reindeer to be a star attraction at today's event.

Good boys.

They've come off the hill this morning in deep snow, and we've taken them for a walk just to show them their surroundings, show them where they are.

None of these reindeer have been to the Strathspey Steam Railway yet in their lives, so it just introduces them to that.

And while they're now eating their food and having a little look around, Andy and I are getting the sleigh ready.

And I can hear the pipes already, so there's obviously a piper here today.

(bagpipe music) ♪ (narrator) As the piper starts playing, the Santa Express approaches the station after its historic journey from Edinburgh Waverley.

It's the first time an HST passenger service has called at Boat Of Garten.

Ho, ho, ho!

(narrator) Taking time out from his busy Christmas schedule, Santa's dropped by for today's special occasion.

(indistinct excited chatter) (narrator) He's come to greet the passengers fresh off the train from Edinburgh.

♪ (child) Aww, he likes it!

(narrator) Seeing Santa and the reindeer is a Christmas treat for everyone.

(Tilly) So lovely to finish here at the Strathspey Steam Railway, which is so beautiful.

And I don't think they very often get a mainline train on this station, so it's exciting.

Exciting for the volunteers, too.

They're all here today in their lovely high-vis jackets, looking important!

(Santa) Shout, "Mince pies!"

Mince pies!

(mother) We've had a fantastic day.

Hopefully it's not over yet.

No!

(laughing) (festive holiday music) (narrator) In the Strathspey kitchen carriages, Vanessa and the team are feeling the heat.

(Vanessa) I've lost count of how many people I've still got to go.

Yes, extremely busy.

♪ (Tilly) Just so much anticipation, everybody came pouring across to see the reindeer and it's, like, whoa!

And everyone was just surrounding the pen and asking questions.

It was a really cheery, cheery day.

(narrator) There's just time for one last elfie with Santa before it's time to make the long journey home.

(Matthew) So it's been fine today, it's been really good.

Seem to have enjoyed themselves.

You know, I'm not hearing anyone complaining.

(whistle blows) Everyone seems to have enjoyed the reindeers.

They've enjoyed the trains and the lunches, so it's been a success, really.

♪ (gentle piano music) (narrator) When the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway opened in 1968, it was the crimson livery of Ivatt Engine 41241 that brought steam back to the Worth Valley in West Yorkshire.

53 years later, she's still going strong.

And today at the Haworth sheds, she's being readied to bring a splash of color to the Elf Express festive special.

Volunteer fireman Tom Kay is feeling the Christmas spirit.

(Tom) Well, which option shall we wear today?

We've got a turkey or we've got Christmas tree or the good old-fashioned hat.

Which one would you like?

Makes it a bit difficult firing in this, really.

I think it's a good look, it hides most of my face.

Or the Christmas tree.

I think we'll go with Santa hat.

That's better, that's better.

We've got a nice red engine, looks festive.

I've got a hat that matches the color of the engine today.

Firing at Christmas can be a lot more atmospheric cause it's a lot colder, so the steam creates more of a condensation sort of effect.

It's more dramatic.

The depths of winter, you've got things like this to keep you warm.

Keeps your mince pies warm on the warming plate.

We'll get some of them on in a bit.

♪ (narrator) Festive steam specials are part of a 40-year tradition at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Weeks of hard work by the railway's legion of volunteers have paid off.

Today's Elf Express is fully booked.

On the platform, passengers board vintage carriages named after Santa's reindeer for the five-mile journey from Oxenhope Station to visit Santa and his helpers at Keighley, rechristened Kringle Town for the day.

Off we go!

(train whistle) (steam venting) (narrator) The steam adventure begins and the excitement starts to build.

(Tom) When I was a young kid, my parents used to bring me on this Santa train and it was always a highlight of the year, really, to come and see Santa cause you always thought, "He's really busy at the moment, getting all the kids' toys ready.

What a privilege, he's come close by to come and see you."

(horn blows) (soft Christmas music) (train visitor) We came last year and it's magical.

(kids) Santa!

(elf hat child) I want to get a toy train.

(Tom) We've got this red one out today and a green one, so they're very Christmassy colors.

We've all dressed up, it's all magical for the kids.

It looks a bit like the Polar Express, I guess.

♪ (narrator) The Elf Express swings into Kringle Town... (station manager) Hello!

(narrator) ..and all eyes are on the platform.

(kids) Santa!

(Tom) There's the big man down here.

-Hello, Santa!

-Hello, hello!

Ho-ho-ho!

♪ (narrator) As the excitement reaches fever pitch, Santa and his helpers move into action and the platform becomes a scene of festive joy.

With eight elf services scheduled today, it's important to keep the party moving but the railway volunteers still find time to visit each compartment.

(elf woman) Merry Christmas!

(chatter, Santa shouts) (narrator) At the center of the festive action is Santa.

(Santa) Have you been good?

Are you sure?

(narrator) Volunteer Paul Holroyd knows that Santa loves steam trains, so he's brought him along.

Ho-ho-ho!

It's so beautiful.

I love doing it.

I love working with the steam trains.

Kids are loving it.

It's really a fantastic day.

We've got plenty of elves helping us.

Have a merry Christmas!

(blonde elf) Oh, it's very magical, isn't it?

-So magical.

-We love seeing all the families get involved and very festive.

(brunette elf) Of course, you're in Kringle Town.

What's more magical than being in Kringle Town?

You've got all the lights, all the presents, of course, and the magical elves.

(narrator) A familiar face among the Kringle Town ranks is railway volunteer Steven Tipton, who has swapped his decorating role for a dustpan and brush.

(Steven) All the kids' faces when Santa comes along, they're really, really enjoying it.

Magic.

95% of the railway is run by volunteers.

Best thing I ever did.

Definitely feeling less "bah, humbug" now!

♪ (narrator) Today's audience with Santa is drawing to a close.

-Thank you.

-And on the footplate, Tom is preparing for the return journey.

(Tom) It's nice to see all the kids' happy, smiling faces and how excited they are.

Just a good atmosphere.

It makes doing this job all worthwhile when you've got to get up at silly o'clock in the morning in the cold and wet.

When you're at home in front of your nice TVs having your mince pies and sherry, you don't see this side of things.

But there's no place I'd rather be than here, really.

♪ -Bye, Santa!

-Bye!

-Merry Christmas!

-Bye!

(sweeping Christmas music) ♪ (pleasant piano music) ♪ (narrator) At the Severn Valley Railway, it's the first running of the Steam In Lights special, which has wowed the crowds on its grand entrance into Bridgnorth Station.

♪ Steam driver receiving.

Over.

(narrator) A glitch with the onboard generator has been sorted and the crew are ready for the off.

(mouth whistle blows) (train whistle blows) (whimsical music) ♪ (narrator) The steam train glides through the night, transporting passengers into a magical wonderland of light and color.

(girl) Wow!

-Wow.

-Oh, wow.

(female train narrator) The magic of the stars is shining in all sorts of colors this evening.

(narrator) On the 4.5-mile journey to Hampton Loade Station, it passes a series of magically lit illuminations inspired by the mining heritage of the Severn Valley.

(woman on train) Oh, that's nice.

That's lovely, isn't it?

(narrator) The track-side show is a festive treat for everyone on board.

(child fussing Come on, then.

Absolutely beautiful, it really is.

It's just magical.

Never seen anything like this.

(woman with kid) Have you spotted the fairies?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

♪ -Wow!

-Oh, wow.

♪ (train whistle) ♪ (train whistle blows) ♪ -Wow!

-Oh, wow.

♪ (woman) Oh, it was just...

I just felt like a kid again.

It was so lovely 'cause it was so magical and you just... you go into another world.

♪ (little boy) It made me feel like you were in a really, really, really big story and it looked amazing.

♪ (narrator) But driving a 66-year-old steam locomotive in the dark is a challenge, even for an experienced driver like Stephen.

(Stephen) A lot of it, when it's during night, it's almost by sound and with the lights in front as well, it makes it a lot more difficult to see so a lot of us have a good route knowledge.

♪ (James) At the moment, we've got nearly 200lbs of steam and plenty of water, but I know that we have got a gradient going up around the corner after our next display, so I will have to put some coal in in a minute so that we can go up the incline.

♪ (narrator) Working a turn on the Steam In Lights special is a dream job for the volunteer crews, who get a unique perspective on this incredible journey.

-Ahh!

-Ahh!

There!

(Stephen) Well, I never thought I'd ever be a train driver so to be able to actually achieve that, it was a dream come true.

♪ When I was a child, I used to pretend I was a train driver in the school playground and here I am now at the controls of this.

♪ (narrator) Tonight's steam adventure is nearing the end, but it's an experience that will live long in the memory.

(female passenger) Little sparkling fairies.

Lots of little gnomes.

It was magical.

It was...amazing.

(older man) This is my son and this is my grandson, and he came to see Santa when he was about that high.

(older man #2) Thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.

A lot more families around, which is what it's all about.

Christmas is family time, which is absolutely brilliant.

(female passenger #2) I don't think you're ever too old for a bit of magic and a bit of festive fun.

I absolutely loved it.

It was brilliant.

(train engine chugging) (upbeat music) ♪ (bright music)