Lighting of Rudolf, the red-nosed pumping unit

This year LUFKIN Industries celebrates its 55th consecutive year of decorating Rudolph the Red-Nosed Pumping Unit! This fine tradition began in 1966 with our employees carefully tossing a few Christmas lights on a pumping unit onsite at our LUFKIN Industries facility in Lufkin, TX.

Gradually, as the years went by, things got more elaborate, and by 2021, it now takes 4 to 5 days to install more than 4,000 lights on our fully functional Mark 640 pumping unit. Fully extended, the pumping unit stands 45 feet tall, making an impressive statement with lights. The 38-foot dump trailer installed behind Rudolph becomes Santa?s sleigh. The whole contraption takes 3 days to move and get erected Downtown, and another 3 days to disassemble and store for next Holiday season. Our thanks to the staff at the Kilgore Service Center, who performs all the assembly and disassembly of Rudolph.