All aboard: Railroad Days this weekend
All aboard: Railroad Days this weekend
| CAPTION: Jane Nordberg/Daily Mining Gazette Brian Keeney, chief engineer of the Lake Linden & Torch Lake Railroad, returns the C&H No. 3 engine to the stationhouse Tuesday at the Houghton County Historical Society Museum Complex. |
By JANE NORDBERG, DMG Writer
LAKE LINDEN — Where once they brought immigrants to work in the area mines, trains will also attract those captivated by their history at the Third Annual Railroad Days Celebration this weekend.
Events will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Houghton County Historical Society Museum complex in Lake Linden.
The 1890 Mineral Range Railroad will take center stage once again, with passengers being able to observe the clicking of the telegraph in the station depot and see the station agent pass orders to the moving train as it eases past the depot.
Visitors can ride the rails behind the restored Calumet & Hecla No. 3 steam engine or, for an additional charge, take a ride in the cab with the engineer and the fireman.
Those who prefer their trains on a smaller scale will be treated to a 10-foot by 40-foot layout of the Iron Range railroad at the Heritage Center.
The layout, produced by the Wisconsin and Michigan Model Railroad organization, is quite impressive, according to Master Model Railroader and Houghton County Historical Society President Richard Taylor.
“It’s been featured in two national shows and most recently, in Model Railroader magazine,” Taylor said.
However, this year’s event shouldn’t be viewed as a “railroad buffs only” attraction, he said.
Local blacksmith Dennis Leopold will be working out of the C&H garage, while historian Rudy Maki will share his memories and photos in the Perl Merrill Library.
“He’s a real expert and a great resource for people to learn more about the Golden Age of railroading,” said Taylor of Maki.
Visitors can also meet Pewaukee, Wis. artist Bruce Friesh, who creates railroad-focused paintings and technical drawings, and Mike Daleiden, of Illinois-based Art in Motion, who will have for sale books and fine art with a railroad and transportation theme. Both artists will be based at the Heritage Center.
Providing a backdrop to the weekend’s events will be bluegrass group Two-lane Traveler, autoharp musician Cindy Curry and women’s barbershop quartet The Coppernotes.
As opposed to a “train show with a lot of layouts,” Railroad Days is intended to be more inclusive, Taylor said.
“We’ve added a lot more dimension this year to make this more of an event for everyone,” he said. “Sure, you’re going to see a lot of trains, but you’ll learn a lot about history in the process.”
Most know Taylor’s bent for railroads through his work and volunteer efforts, however, this year’s Railroad Days also gives him a chance to showcase his other talent — as a hobo-style cook.
“That’s my bag,” said Taylor, who has taught hobo cooking as part of a survival skills workshop in the past. Most recently, however, those skills have been under wraps.
“It’s amazing what you can do with tin foil,” he said, planning to illustrate his point at 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. Saturday, when he will present two sessions on hobo cooking and lore.
Taylor said the hobo penchant for resourcefulness is not unlike the skills needed as a board member for a non-profit historical society.
“They were very good at creative borrowing, begging and sometimes, stealing,” he said, chuckling. “In our case, we borrow and beg all right, but we stop short of using illegal sources.”
For more information, contact the Houghton County Historical Society at 296-4121.
Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com
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