Alex Bertram (left) and Tim Stockdale (right) with the train. Courtesy | Scot Bertram
People waited by the tracks for the rare sound of an old, roaring train whistle. For a moment, time reversed as the 1944 locomotive No. 795 chugged into view. Families waved from its cars, and attendees snapped photos.
The historic train stopped at 50 Monroe St. in Hillsdale Oct. 11. The train took passengers on a round trip to Crossroads Farms in Reading, followed by a block party, featuring live music and food vendors, in Hillsdale.
“Being on the train felt like time travel. It felt like going back to a different time in American life,” said Associate Professor of English Kelly Franklin, who was among the passengers.
A historic steam engine rolled into Hillsdale. James Joski | Collegian
Franklin and his family boarded the train to celebrate his daughter’s ninth birthday.
“She loves what she calls the ‘old-fashioned train,’” he said.
The Railroad Festival was a collaboration between Hillsdale Renaissance, the Indiana Railroad Experience, the Fort Wayne Historical Railroad Society, and the city of Hillsdale, according to Charlie Miggins, the event manager for Hillsdale Renaissance.
“We wanted to put together a time where people are downtown and celebrating together, and seeing live music, all kind of celebrating the life and history of Hillsdale with the big steam engines coming to town,” Miggins said.
Hillsdale was a train hub in the late 19th century. With the arrival of the Southern Michigan Railroad in 1843, Hillsdale became a central stop for Michigan settlers, according to the Hillsdale County Historical Society.
Kelly Lynch, vice president of the Fort Wayne Railroad, said the job of running a 1940s steam locomotive is hands-on.
“There are many facets to running a train — from the mechanical and operational side to the preservation and interpretational side,” Lynch said. “There is a reverence in operating them because of the knowledge and skill it takes to operate not just these trains, but any piece of railroad stock. While many of our volunteers are veteran railroaders, many others are not — they do it for the love of history, or sharing a unique era of American innovation and other people.”
Miggins said he hopes the Railroad Festival will be an annual event.
“We would like to have the event every year in October or fall time of the year,” Miggins said. “Next time we will try to get this festival not on fall break for Hillsdale College, since we would like for students to be able to attend and experience this historical culture of Hillsdale.”
Radio Station General Manager Scot Bertram and his 12-year-old son Alex also attended the event.
Though he had ridden a train many times, Scot Betram said it was his son’s first time riding one.
“It really was a great experience,” Alex Bertram said. “I had seen the steam train many times, and it was amazing to ride it.”
According to Lynch, the train experience is popular among people who have a personal connection to trains and those who have no experience with them.
“People come for many reasons, and many of them are personal — there is a family connection, a generational link, a memory they are paying homage to, but not everyone needs to have a deep legacy to enjoy themselves,” Lynch said. “There is a sense of adventure, you’re outdoors, you’re seeing the world from a different perspective, and yes, you’re traveling the way millions of people did every day in America did 80 years ago.”
Franklin said the increasing interest in old ways of life signals a move away from the superficiality of the digital world.
“I think it seems significant that people like old-fashioned trains, old-fashioned cars, old buildings, retro and vintage stuff,” Franklin said. “The human soul and body will not be satisfied by anything but real reality. I think that if people are interested in riding old-fashioned trains, it tells us something we ought to pay attention to.”
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