Indiana: Train enthusiasts to gather at National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart

From MenaFN: Train enthusiasts to gather at National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart
ELKHART, Apr 29, 2012 (South Bend Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Ralph Schirling has been interested in trains his entire life. Being a train enthusiast, he said, "is about the camaraderie. We all have similar interests and just want to gather together."

Lucky for him, he gets to work with trains day in and day out as a director of network planning with Union Pacific-Omaha.

He is also one of the directors of the New York Central System Historical Society, which will be playing host to its annual convention next weekend.

"We're trying to pass knowledge between generations (with the Society)," he said.

Through the society, younger train enthusiasts can connect with ex-employees of the New York Central Train system, which merged with another railroad in the late 1960s and ultimately lost to time.

"It was originally formed by employees in the early 1970s," Schirling said. "The employee numbers are starting to wither, but the number of historians and enthusiasts is increasing."

In addition to this weekend's extravaganza, several train-related events are planned for the summer at the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart, according to museum coordinator Robin Hume.

The Society's convention will take place at Das Essenhaus in Middlebury Friday through May 6, with a day spent at the museum in Elkhart, according to Schirling, one of the two organizers.

"It'll be three days of railroading, railroading and nothing but railroading, so help us," he said.

Saturday will feature a Train Fair at the museum, according to Schirling. The fair will feature trains of all shapes and sizes, from model trains to the large locomotives in the museum.

"It's going to be a family-oriented event," he said. "We're doing more events than just a normal day at the museum."

The event on Saturday is open to the public for $5, but those interested are welcome to register for the entire convention on the society's website, www. nycshs.org. The cost is $189 for nonmembers.

The weekend's activities also include model train layout tours in area homes, presentations by guest speakers and a silent auction.

Following the Historical Society convention, the second annual Model Steam Toy, Engine and Erector Set Show will be held May 11 and 12 at the museum.

Many models will be on display, and there will be a performance from folk singer Bill Isles.

Isles has a long history with trains and railroads, Hume said. His grandfather worked in the train yards in Duluth, Minn., during the Great Depression. His grandfather let the homeless sleep in the roundhouse of the yard at night, going against, company orders.

Isles' song, "Hobos in the Roundhouse," will be among the tunes he performs in the museum's theater, Hume said.

Hume has been the museum coordinator for about a year, she said.

"I love artifacts of all types," she said. "Trains are a part of Elkhart history, and I love it and respect it."

About 850 people stop by the museum each month, she said. Memberships are available, and some members come by weekly to take in the museum's many collections.

"We see a lot of children with grandparents," she said. "It's a good educational tool, and we get them interested in history."

Activities for children at the museum include the chance to lay railroad track and hammer in spikes, like old "gandy dancers," or railroad workers.

Improvements have recently begun on the model train exhibit, Hume said.

"It just keeps growing!" she said about the layout, which now features six trains and many miniature scenes.

Hume said that people have come from all over the country to see the model train exhibit, and the set was recently used in the filming of a series of videos on model trains.

The museum will also have several new exhibits opening soon. A ridable small locomotive will be ready to tow adults and children alike around a track in about six weeks' time, Hume said.

Also opening is an exhibit on the Cardinals' Train, a train that brought the Catholic Church's cardinals across the country in 1926, according to the exhibit.

The train stopped in Elkhart at 6 a.m. June 17, 1926. Residents greeted the train, and one man who was blessed by the cardinals as a child is still alive in Elkhart.

The exhibit will open in the next two to three weeks.

Steve Dinehart, a part-time museum staff member, said he has been interested in trains for more than 63 years.

"My dad got me started," he said while working on the model train exhibit.

The museum brings together many different types of train enthusiasts, from model trains to large locomotives.

"There's just a variety of different people and interests," he said.

We're chuffed! Auctioneers' joy as train collector's models sell for more than £500k

From the Sun (UK): We're chuffed! Auctioneers' joy as train collector's models sell for more than £500k

A TRAIN buff’s stunning collection of model steam engines that he used to drive around his back garden has sold for a whopping £530,000.

Jack Salem — who died in 1986 — was a steam train enthusiast and spent 40 years commissioning expert train builders to make the model engines for him.

The locomotives were exact working replicas of real engines from the “golden age of steam” — and many were built using the original drawings for the bigger versions.

Ex-Lancashire mill owner Jack retired to Switzerland in the 1960s, where he had a half-mile long track — complete with stations, tunnels and viaducts — built in his garden.

A train buff's stunning collection of model steam engines that he used to drive around his back garden is set to sell for £250,000.

He spent many happy years chugging around on his coal-powered trains — with each engine capable of pulling up to 30 carriages.

Jack’s children decided to sell the precious collection following the recent death of his widow.

The highlight of the sale was the scaled down version of the Duchess of Buccleuch — described as the “Rolls Royce” of the models by auctioneers.

Fierce bidding from train fans for the 10ft maroon coloured engine — which took 10 years to build — led to it selling for £183,000 pounds, more than three times its pre-sale estimate.

Other big sellers were The Welch Regiment for more than £55,000 and a Great Western Railways locomotive called Windsor Castle for £44,000.

Auctioneer Michael Matthews, of Dreweatts of Newbury, Berks, which sold the engines, said: “The model steam engine auction proved to be an electric sale.

“There was a huge amount of interest and a lot of competition from bidders in the room and on the phone.

“We are delighted with the outcome. I think the family had mixed emotions about the sale.

“They were obviously pleased with the results but it was quite emotional for them because of the connection the engines had with their father.”

Mr Matthews added: “It is the finest collection of model-engineered locomotives to have ever come on the market.”

California: Train Song Festival being revamped

From Pomerado News: Train Song Festival being revamped
The Train Song Festival will be a little different this year, thanks to a new, hands-on approach.

Though traditionally held in October, this year the Train Song Festival will be held noon – 8 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in part to help spread out community events through the year.

“We used this opportunity to revamp the event to have a theme,” said David Richards, recreation supervisor at Old Poway Park.

While historically the festival has always revolved around trains and singing, Richards and the other organizers wanted the new and improved Train Song Festival to be more hands-on and interactive, rather than it being more like a concert as it was in the past. “We wanted the visitors to move from observers to participants,” said Richards. In accordance with the theme of Old Poway Park, which is a Victorian-era style, the new theme of the Train Song Festival is that of the end of the industrial era, the Age of Steam. “[The festival will feature] everything cool that you can imagine from the turn of the century,” Richards said. “It’s nothing like we’ve ever done at Old Poway Park before.”

There will be a variety of steam engines available for viewing and riding, everything from small, ride-on steam engines from the Chula Vista Live Steamers to Old Cantankerous itself, the Poway Midland Railroad’s 1907 Baldwin Steam Engine, which will be running through 8 p.m. for a nominal fee.

The Poway Midland Railroad will also have all their equipment on display behind the train barn, for viewing purposes, and they will be unveiling their newest piece of equipment, a cable car they are in the process of restoring. Though the cable car won’t be available for riding until summer, those interested can check out how the restoration is going, which Richards describes as “substantially complete.”

Just because this year’s festival has a theme of steam, it doesn’t mean that the old west fun has been abandoned. Two groups of bandits will be roaming the park, robbing trains and staging gunfights. The Apache Canyon Gang will be performing from noon – 4 p.m., with the Shadow River Regulators taking over from 4 – 8 p.m.

“One of the hidden treasures of this event is the nighttime spectacle gunfights,” said Richards, as the muzzle flashes will be highly visible once dusk starts to set in.

There will be a number of static displays as well, everything from a Model-A car to steam tractors from the Vista Antique Gas and Steam Museum. Elaborate model train sets will also be available for viewing.

As for the song part of the festival, an entire frontier music camp will be set up, complete with tent and eating area, where 25 different instruments will be available for kids to play with and discover a love of music, with instruction on the instruments also offered.

There will be a vendor fair at the festival as well, with the Boardwalk Craft Market selling their wares. Food will also be on sale, with Hamburger Factory selling barbecue sandwiches and the Girl Scouts selling hot dogs, among other things. There will also be train vendors selling model train equipment.

“We recruited as many train vendors as possible to attract serious collectors as well as families,” said Richards.

A tintype photographer will be out in the park taking pictures, and historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt, as well as Victorian and Steampunk characters roaming the park as well.

“We’re developing and strengthening the theme,” said Richards. “It’s up there with An Old Fashioned 4th of July and Christmas in the Park.”

Oregon: Loco for Locomotives: Model trains on display

From KVAL.com: Loco for Locomotives: Model trains on display
EUGENE, Ore. - Collectors from all over the west coast showcased their latest model train creations at the 24th annual model train show in Eugene on Sunday.

More than 200 vendors set up at the show to sell, swap, or buy the latest train engines, parts, tracks, and scenery on the market. Organizers said the event grows ever year and draws model train builders of all ages.

At 57 years old, Heather Clark isn't ashamed to admit toy trains are her life.

"I've had railroading in my blood all my life in one form or another," Clark said.

Clark first got loco for locomotives at five years old. Her purchase grew into a passion for the rails. By age 23, Clark went to work for Southern Pacific Railroad.

"I loved railroading the old fashion way," Clark said.

Eleven years later, the conductor decided to leave the railroad.

"Frankly it wasn't fun anymore," Clark said. "Everything was becoming computerized."

Eager to get back to the real thing, Clark decided to start building her own trains. Clark said she makes a decent living as a model train builder. But in a computer world, however, she fears the model train craze could soon disappear.

"There's fewer and fewer collectors and modelers who have interest of this level and who are willing to spend the money," Clark said.

Clark said through every show she attends and through ever train she builds, she hopes to keep the model train business steadily trekking down the right track..

"I can't imagine my life being anything other than railroad," Clark said.

Central celebrates railroad history with festival

From Pickensentinel.com: Central celebrates railroad history with festival
The Central Railroad Festival will pull into historic downtown Central Saturday, April 28, with music, great food and festivities for all ages.

The Railroad Festival celebrates the rich heritage of Central, so named because the town is situated at the “central” point of the railroad line between Atlanta and Charlotte.

The festival begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m., featuring entertainment, food, music and arts and crafts vendors.

< “The Central Railroad Festival has activities for the entire family,” said Bobby Ballentine, festival organizer. “Come spend the day, enjoy the entertainment and the great variety of food. There are tons of free activities for the kids.”

Free entertainment for children will include the Fun Express, model train displays, a musical show for children, a balloon artist, a tractor train ride, face painting and a Thomas the Tank Engine display. Also open for free tours will be the Central Railway Museum, which features a large HO-scale model railroad layout complete with cities, towns and features found in the region more than a half century ago. The museum also houses a Heritage Room, featuring classic model trains popular in the mid - 20th Century. Also, there will be a tour of the Central red caboose.

Live music and entertainment will be in the spotlight throughout the Railroad Festival. The entertainment lineup is:

· 10 – 10:10 a.m. – Welcome and National Anthem
· 10:10 – 11 a.m.: SWU Jazz Band
· 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m./3 – 4 p.m.: Randy “Elvis” Bonneval
· 1 – 2:30 p.m.: Tony Tidwell
· 4:30 – 6 p.m. – Flying Saucers

Entertainment in the kid’s area, near the caboose:
· 10:30 – 10:45 a.m./12:30 – 12:45/2:30 – 2:45: La Dance Studio of Pickens
· 11 – 11:30 a.m./1 – 1:30 p.m./3 – 3:30 p.m./4:30 – 5 p.m.: Music and Magic Show
· 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m./1:45 – 2:15 p.m./3:45 – 4:15 p.m.: Hot Foot Cloggers

Central restaurants will be open on the day of the festival, offering options of Mexican, Oriental, Coffee House and Deli Specialties, plus Seafood. Street vendors will also cater to a variety of tastes, offering pizza, hot dogs, barbecue, nachos, corn dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, funnel cakes, chicken wings, crab cakes, Italian ice, kettle corn, fried Oreos and more treats.

Clemson Area Transit buses will run continuously, taking festival-goers from parking areas, which include Central Town Hall, New Life Church, Cannon Memorial Baptist Church and Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home. There will also be bus tours of nearby historical sites, including the Central Heritage Museum and Collins Ole Towne, a recreated 1920’s-era village.

Admission to the festival is free and convenient parking is available.

“There isn’t a festival anywhere that has the variety of free activities for the entire family that you can find at the Central Railroad Festival. Bring the entire family and spend the day. Everyone will have a blast,” Ballentine said.

The Central Railroad Festival is sponsored by the Central Area Business Council and the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce. The festival is supported by the Town of Central and the Central Railway Museum.

For festival details, call Lindsey Newton at (864) 654-1200 or visit the Central Railroad Festival website at www.centralrrfestival.com. The site includes a map of convenient parking areas.

New look DeQuincy museum ready to host festival

A few days late - so put it on your calendar for next year!

From Sulphur Faily News: New look DeQuincy museum ready to host festival

DEQUINCY — If it is the second week of April, then it must be time for DeQuincy’s Louisiana Railroad Days Festival.

For almost three decades, the city has celebrated its railway heritage with the DeQuincy Railroad Museum as its centerpiece. And after recently completing a bit of renovation and reorganization, the museum is ready to reacquaint festival goers and enthusiasts alike with their “new face.” “The museum is a reflection of the history of DeQuincy from its beginnings in 1897 and its growth from the railroads. The building itself is the most important one historically in DeQuincy. We are very proud of what we have done [with the updates],” said Gary Cooper, former DeQuincy mayor and current President of the DeQuincy Railroad Museum Board of Directors.

The project began in 2009, when the museum received a grant of $3,528 from the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, giving them a chance to inventory the museum’s artifacts and to upgrade and expand the presentation of them.

The museum board matched the funds, giving the organization a total of $7,056 for their project. Faced with a massive number of artifacts, mostly donated by area residents along with items from the railroad industry and visitors, the museum culled through their stock, moving non railway-related items to the newly restored DeQuincy Town Hall Museum.

Seeking professional assistance in order to refresh their display, the board hired, in 2010, McNeese State University Department of Visual Arts Chair Lynn Reynolds, along with two MSU students, Lydia Powers and Devin Morgan, for help in upgrading and expanding the presentation. In September 2010, the museum then brought in Port Arthur, Texas resident and railroad historian Les McMahen to finish the reorganization. For nearly a year, he catalogued and arranged artifacts, expanding the area of presentation. He matched artifacts with records, labeling each and producing identification and information cards. McMahen’s extensive work can be found in each of the new display areas and in the placards of information located throughout the museum.

“He was very professional,” said Cooper of McMahen. “He made sure everything was historically accurate.” Along with the reorganization, the museum also received a facelift on the outside when the building’s exterior was painted. The city, as the official owner of the building after having bought it from Kansas City Railroad in 1974 for $1, paid for that project.

Inside, the museum used their own funding to do some upkeep as well, painting the large waiting room, as well as installing new ceiling fans. The former baggage room, which had long been used for storage, was cleared of all debris and a number of large artifacts and tools have been arranged along the perimeter and on the walls. Cooper states that the museum plans to paint the entrance room (formerly the small waiting room) and the middle room (the former operations hub of the depot) over the next couple of years. “We plan on painting one room at a time in January, since painting usually eliminates the use of a room for several weeks. January is our slowest time for visitors,” he stated.

The 1947 Pullman passenger car located outside the building is also being restored with the city providing the primary funds. According to Cooper, that ongoing project has been going on for about a year and should be completed soon. The car, which was once used as a cocktail lounge in Lake Charles, was donated to the museum in the 1980s.

One new addition that has attracted a lot of attention is the working model train layout located in the middle room. For 29 years, members of the East Texas & Gulf Rail Modelers Association have come to the museum at festival time to set up model train displays for festival goers. It is an extremely popular exhibit. Last year, the museum board approached the group asking if they could build a year-round display for the museum. From scratch, four men built the working display, which features buildings named after former or current businesses in DeQuincy, within four months. Visitors are invited to press the diesel horn and steam whistle buttons as the train goes around the track.

“It is wonderful for children. In fact, it is for kids of all ages,” said Cooper.

The group will also again set up their model trains for festival goers this year.

“The trains will run Friday and Saturday all day. It will be elbow-to-elbow in here. This place will be a madhouse on Saturday,” said Cooper.

The museum is ready for the influx of festival goers. Even before festival time, part-time employees Katherine “Katy” Haley and Mary Jane Barberry have seen an upswing in the number of people coming through the doors.

“Last year we saw about 8,000 visitors for the year,” said Cooper. “Since the renovation was completed, and through news, advertisement and social media exposure, the last two or three months has seen our visitation doubled.”

They still charge no admission. However, anyone is welcome to put a donation into one of the little red cabooses scattered throughout the displays.

“We are nonprofit. No admission is charged. We are able to operate from donations. We have been very fortunate. We have had grants from the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau, Union Pacific and Kansas City railroads, and the Tunica-Biloxi tribe,” said Cooper.

Pursuing additional grant funds is part of the museum’s short term goals, added Cooper. The board also has some other projects in mind as well.

“We also intend to repaint the old steam engine outside and the old cabooses. We would also like to replace the chain link fence,” said the board president.

The board is proud of the reorganization and looks forward to festival goers seeing the “new” museum. “The evolution has been a result of community involvement. It is a community treasure,” said Cooper. “Its success is due to the community and to volunteers,” he added.

The museum is housed in the 1923 Kansas City Southern Railway Depot (a Mission Revival-style building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places) located at 400 Lake Charles Avenue in DeQuincy. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturday.

The Louisiana Railroad Days Festival runs from April 12-April 14. For more information on the festival, contact Evalin Hester at 337-786-8241.

Maryland State Fairgrunds, Apr 14-15: Train Show

Model Train Show, Largest Regional Exhibition and Shopping Event, Extends the Spring Break Season at the Maryland State Fairgrounds April 14-15, 2012.

Baltimore, Md. (PRWEB) April 11, 2012

The Great Scale Model Train Show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds on the April 14-15, 2012 weekend, is an all-American event and big finish to the spring break season. The show celebrates the hobby of model railroading that continues to captivate generations of train buffs, serious hobbyist and collectors, and kids of all ages. Marking its 30th anniversary, the show is the largest regional exhibition and marketplace of its kind, featuring all scales, sprawling over 160,000 square feet of spectacular operating layouts, local train clubs exhibits, clinics and demonstrations, hundreds of stations of gifts, train art, books and supplies, railroad antiques, and theater-style presentations of model railroad videos throughout the weekend.

Totally relevant in the information age, "The World's Greatest Hobby" offers something for every skill level and interest, including computer technology, software development, electronics, visual arts, horticulture, landscape design and scenery building, carpentry, modeling, history, and storytelling. Show visitors will have the opportunity to talk to experts from model train clubs -- even a Circus Modelers Group. Many historical organizations will exhibit, including the B&O, C&O, Conrail, and Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad Historical Societies.

Perhaps no one passionately embraces railroading in his daily life more than the show’s co-producer, master modeler Howard Zane. A nationally renowned authority on scale model railroading, Zane’s personal HO-scale layout occupies almost 3,000 square feet of the lower level of his home in Columbia, Maryland. Among the largest and most complex private layouts in the U.S., it has been a continual work in progress and labor of love for Zane since he began building it in 1983.

Zane and his layout have been featured regularly in model train magazines and press, including Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, in multiple segments of Allen Keller Productions' "Great Model Railroads" video series, and in the PBS series "Tracks Ahead."

Zane is the author of “My Life With Model Trains," a hardcover 300-page book with 450 full-color photographs that chronicles his adventures in the "World's Greatest Hobby" and his journey creating his layout.

Show dates: April 14-15, 2012

Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium

Hours: Saturday 9AM-4PM; Sunday 10AM-4PM

The fare is good for both days!

Ample, free parking

Admission: Saturday $9, under 15 free, Family $18 (unlimited)

Return Sunday free, or

Sunday $8, under 15 free, Family $15 (unlimited)

A Little Bit of History

From Galesburg.com: A Little Bit of History

GALESBURG — A new railyard will be up and running here in a little more than a week.

The new yard is part of a massive HO-model train display at the Galesburg Railroad Museum. The museum opens for the season Tuesday.

Railroad Museum President Jim Clayton said the display was donated to the museum by the Gary Durbin Estate of California. Clayton said Durbin’s grandfather worked at the CB&Q pump house at Lake Bracken, retiring in 1955.

What may be dubbed the Durbin Yard, Galesburg, Ill., arrived last year in an 8-by-7-by-12-foot crate that, until recently, was stored at The Parts House.

Veteran model railroader Greg Baumgardner of Abingdon is both putting the mini slice of railroading together and, in some cases, reimagining it. The display has everything from a coal mine, to depots, to a turntable and roundhouse, as well as the yards. Baumgardner hopes to give people who have not seen these parts of Americana that relate so much to Galesburg a chance to see what it was like.

“Really what you’re doing is capturing a little bit of history,” he said.

Baumgardner said Durbin had a photo album showing what the display looked like.

“Unfortunately, he never got the chance to finish it,” Baumgardner said. “We’ve got the opportunity to finish it.”

He said Durbin was a great fan of Galesburg. There is a passenger depot marked “Galesburg, Illinois.” There is a Galesburg water tower and a newspaper office with the words, Galesburg Register-Mail, A Better Newspaper.

“The roundhouse is actually designed pretty close to what it was here, as well,” Baumgardner said.

He explained there’s “a world of difference” between model trains, which he described as what runs under a Christmas tree, to scale model railroading, which is what the addition to the Railroad Museum is. As an HO set-up, everything is scaled 1:87.

“The dimensions of the cars, the people, everything is exactly 1/87th and the goal is to reproduce as accurately as possible actual scenes,” Baumgardner said.

There is an artistic complexity to putting the tiny rail community back together. Baumgardner showed how a screen, like one from a window, is used along with drywall mud to create something akin to paper mache. What he loves is as he creates the landscape, unexpected things occur, like the formation of a ridge on the landscape below the coal mine chute.

“A lot of it is unplanned,” he said. “Over here we got a little dip, so we put in this pond. So features kind of develop themselves as you go.”

Baumgardner uses what he called “the rule of threes” in colors of the scale model train set.

“In nature, nothing is ever one color,” he said. “If you’re doing the grass, there’s three different colors blended into it. If you bring that into it, it just adds so much more. A model railroad is never completely done because you can add this, add that.”

With the almost constant sound of real train horns and freight trains rumbling past on the tracks next to the museum as a back drop, Baumgardner reached into what he called “my box of tricks,” pulling out a plastic bag of field grass, which he cut to size.

“You can add some people doing this, you can add weeds, you can add vehicles,” he said. “It’s always a work in progress.”

As Baumgardner works on the railroad, there are freight trains, as well as a Burlington Northern dome car passenger train on the tracks.

“I think we’re going to try to run all Burlington equipment,” he said.

“I’m a CB&Q brat,” Clayton, a retired railroader, said proudly.

Baumgardner said the set has the ability for five trains to run at the same time. He said there are two mainlines, so two trains will probably run — one on each line — with others in the switch yard, under the coal chutes and other locations.

“I see this, I think of the depot at Yates City,” Clayton said of one of the train stations.

Baumgardner lifted the top off the miniature depot to reveal benches inside.

He plans to put three company houses in the “grassy” area near the coal mine and maybe hide a bear in the trees near the pond, where the unaware fishermen will constantly be menaced.

“The company houses tie in with the coal mine, it gives you a story you can tell,” Baumgardner said. He added that perhaps only one person in 100 will notice the bear lurking in the trees, but that person will get enjoyment out of noticing the detail. Baumgardner wants to follow the lead used with the model train set at Sandburg Mall and have buttons visitors can push to start trains running for five minutes or so. He’d eventually like the buttons to begin a narrative about coal mining, depots, roundhouses and other parts of railroading depicted on the 8-by-12-foot layout.

Baumgardner has finished much of the coal mine area and plans to follow the track around to the roundhouse area, which includes many spaces where there’s work yet to be done.

“It will take probably a couple of years until it’s pretty well finished,” he said, although he plans to continually tinker with it.

While there is a living feel to what seems like art, there’s another reason the display seems to take on a life of its own.

“They’ve had people come in and spend hours in here,” he said of the many displays. “You’ll get some 80-year-old guy in here that worked for the coal company. The things you hear from retired coal miners, factory workers, that collective knowledge is kind of disappearing.”

“You have a gentleman come in here and he worked in the coal mines,” Clayton agreed. “He’s telling you stuff you can repeat to the next person that you never knew.”

Once the museum opens Tuesday, its season runs through September. It is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and is closed on Monday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children, with unlimited admission with a membership. Individual memberships are $20 annually, $25 for a family. A lifetime membership is also available, for $300, with an additional $100 for a spouse.

Baumgardner said interest in all things railroad is intense.

“You go out to County 10 (bridge) right now, there’s somebody out there watching trains,” he said. “So many people live in places where they don’t have this.”

Easter Pause

So sorry to have missed so many days of posting - unexpected family matters cropped up.

And now it's Easter, so more family matters.

Will get back on track Monday.

Thanks for your patience.