From left: BLET Division 601 member Rich Carl and Division 601 Local Chairman Phil Burgos in the cab of the Conrail Santa Train.
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The members of Division 601 are proud of their involvement in the Conrail Santa Train tradition and the positive impact it has on their community.
The BLET National Division wishes every member and their family a happy and healthy 2025. This issue of the Weekly Recap is the first of 2025, the Recap wasn’t published during the last week of December. Before 2024 becomes a distant memory, we end this Recap by recognizing two BLET members who helped make the 2024 holiday season a little bit brighter for others.
BLET Division 601 member Rich Carl worked as the locomotive engineer on Conrail’s annual Santa Train. He operated the festively decorated consist on a late December run from Port Newark to Oak Island and then to Port Reading, N.J. Division 601 Local Chairman Phil Burgos was on hand to help with Brother Carl with the festivities. Burgos said the members of Division 601 are proud of their involvement in the Conrail Santa Train tradition and the positive impact it has on their community.
Additionally, John Karakian, BLET’s longest-tenured General Chairman who has served the Grand Trunk Western GCA continuously since 1992, also is known for decorating his house every year with beautiful Christmas lights. Karakian’s elaborate light display at his home in Michigan brings holiday joy to his neighbors and is so popular that it was featured in a local newspaper in December 2024. Karakian said he uses his Christmas light display to express his deep commitment to his Christian faith. Included below are photos.

John Karakian is BLET’s longest-tenured General Chairman.

Karakian’s light display at his home in Michigan was featured in a local newspaper in December 2024.