Bring Unwrapped Toy to Santa at the Station Friday [VIDEO]

The Metrolink Holiday Toy Express returns to the Chatsworth Depot on Friday, with its 50,000 colorful lights, animated characters and live musical entertainment to delight children of all ages.

Families are urged to bring new, unwrapped toys to donate to the Spark of Love toy drive for collection by firefighters from Chatsworth's Stations 96 and 107. Devonshire PALS (Police Activity League) Youth Center will also be collecting toys for underprivileged kids.

The free festivities begin at 7 p.m. and the Toy Express arrives at 8:15 p.m. The depot is located at 10046 Old Depot Plaza Rd.

This comes after last year's disappointment when the Toy Express was set to bypass Chatsworth. But after community pressure, Metro agreed to provide a last-minute dress rehearsal "test train" without the full live musical show.

In past years, Chatsworth onlookers lined the depot platform shoulder to shoulder, two dozen deep. Last year, when Laurene Lopez, a community relations administrator for Metrolink, saw the crowd, she said she didn't realize hundreds of people would line up at the Chatsworth station.

So this year, Chatsworth is back on the official schedule. And the Toy Express has only two stops in the city of Los Angeles on its 32-station schedule: Chatsworth and Union Station.

There will be performances by the Limited Edition women’s quartet. Caroling will be Theresa Schonbach, Cathy Tautkus; K.J. Brown and Laura Gindy of the River Oaks Barbershop Chorus. The Chatsworth Hills Academy Glee Club, under the direction of Brandi Williams, will also perform. Councilman Mitch Englander will provide free popcorn.

Sponsors of the event include the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council, Chatsworth Community Coordinating Council, Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce, Englander's office, the LAFD and LAPD.

For a full event schedule and listing of all the stops, go to metrolinktrains.com/news/?id=7144.

And, by the way, while you are there, don't forget to say hello to Santa and Mrs. Claus!