Silvis train event ‘shows history that built America’

Scott Ketner isn’t the biggest train fan in the world, but his kids just might be. The area man had his hands full with his three young children, plus a fourth child who is a family friend, as he showed them the trains on display on Saturday, June 29, during the Railroading Heritage of Midwest […]

Scott Ketner isn’t the biggest train fan in the world, but his kids just might be. The area man had his hands full with his three young children, plus a fourth child who is a family friend, as he showed them the trains on display on Saturday, June 29, during the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA) Summer of Safety Open House in Silvis. 

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“I don’t know a lot about trains, but I wanted to show them to the kids today. … I wanted to make sure the kids got to see the trains instead of just hearing them,” he said. The Coal Valley man was one of thousands who looked over trains, cranes and railroad wheels during the event that was meant to educate and inspire people about the history of trains. It took place at the National Railway Equipment (NRE) complex in Silvis at 1101 Second Ave. North. That complex was bought a couple of years ago by RRHMA, a Minneapolis-based railroad heritage organization. That group is using the facility to restore and repair train cars, and eventually open a train-themed museum at the complex. The RRHMA is a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote public understanding of the history of railroading in the Midwest. RRHMA accomplishes this goal by preserving, restoring, operating, and interpreting historic locomotives and rail cars. “We strive to educate the public about the importance of railroading in shaping the history of the Midwest,” according to the group’s website. The Silvis site has several miles of track and a main shop building measuring 300,000 square feet. It includes a wheel shop, warehouse space, locomotive wheel drop table, several other smaller shop buildings and is equipped with multiple overhead cranes. The complex is served by Iowa Interstate Railroad, BNSF Railway, and Canadian Pacific Railway.  “We want people to experience the equipment like folks did decades ago,” said Jon Strand, an RRHMA Board of Directors member and events coordinator for the organization. On Saturday, Mr. Strand was kept busy answering questions, giving tours and doing the big and small jobs of helping visitors get a better understanding of classic trains and train safety. (He also helped guide about 60 Silvis children around the facility on Friday, June 28, during a tour and safety event.) While teaching the public safety rules around trains was one of the main goals of the open house, getting a look at the trains and train cars on display were top goals for people attending the Silvis open house. Two of those visitors were Michael and Pat Robaczewski of the Chicago area. They came to Silvis for a specific goal – to see the Canadian Pacific 2816 train, also known as “The Empress.” “We heard ‘The Empress’ was going to be here. I just had to come and see it again,” said Mr. Robaczewski, as he carefully looked over the engine of the classic train and snapped photo after photo with his phone. “He will go anywhere to see ‘The Empress,’ and I mean anywhere,” added Mrs. Robaczewski. In addition to the trains, Mr. Strand also wanted visitors to look over and appreciate the facilities, buildings and other equipment that surround the trains on display. For instance, while giving a tour of the main storage and restoration building – which consists of 300,000 square feet of space – he pointed out painting and sandblasting sections that are big enough to sandblast and paint entire train cars. He also showed an old boiler to a steam engine, a 150-ton crane used to move train cars and a ramp system used for train car maintenance. “When people come in here, many of them say ‘I never imagined there would be so much space in this building,’” he added. Next to that building is another large building which was once a supply distribution facility for train traffic at the Silvis train center during the last century. Mr. Strand called that building the “Amazon distribution center of 1903.” Near those massive buildings is a smaller structure that RRHMA officials have big hopes and plans for. In perhaps five years or so, they have the goal of establishing a train museum. One of the goals for Saturday’s open house was to raise money for the museum, and also help ongoing train preservation work. Mr. Strand said he didn’t know how much money needed to be raised, but it was certainly several millions of dollars. In addition to planning for a museum, RRHMA leaders and volunteers continue their work of restoring train history. For instance, during the tour, visitors saw an old Southern Pacific railroad car that had body work and was repainted. That project only took a couple of months. Work to restore steam engines and make parts of history can take several years, he added. Saving history was a main theme when RRHMA bought the Silvis rail facility in 2022. “Rather than bulldozing this place and making it an open space, let’s make it a historic part of the community,” Steven Sandberg, the heritage organization’s president and chief operating officer, told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal at that time. That main goal was not lost on the many people visiting and volunteering at Saturday’s events. One of those volunteers, Ellen Lawson of St. Louis, Missouri, said she became interested in the RRHMA because of its work to bring the rail machines of history back to life. “It’s awesome to have so much history in one place. … We want to show the history that built America,” she added.