(rshsdepot) Fairbury, NE

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Photo links:

http://www.nebraskahistory.org/images/histpres/nebraske/11666.jpg (exterior
view, before restoration)

http://www.sinclairhille.com/programs/NDOR/images/FairburyRI.jpg  (exterior
view)

http://www.sinclairhille.com/programs/NDOR/images/FairburyRI2.jpg (interior
view)

Museum to reopen

By Bill Aldrich/Beatrice Daily Sun special contributor

FAIRBURY -- Despite a sluggish start to its renovation plans, the Rock
Island Depot Museum is chugging along and will have some unexpected
surprises for visitors upon its reopening.

Thanks to the diligent work of its curator, as well as several grants,
donations and a revenue bond issued to the museum, renovations will not only
be completed, they are expected to be finished well ahead of schedule.

As a result, the reopening has been scheduled for June 8.

Plans were nearly derailed last June when bids for renovations ran nearly
$125,000 more than the $330,000 that a federal grant given to the museum
allowed for construction purposes.

Rock Island Depot Museum curator Denise Andersen began working on additional
ways to get the funds needed to make up the difference. Andersen was
eventually able to raise funds and get the project started by the
anticipated Sept. 15 start date.

Andersen is pleased with the progress of the depot's renovations.

"The completion date was scheduled for May 30, but most of the repairs will
be completed by mid-April," Andersen said. "The contractors did a wonderful
job and I'm really pleased with the quality of work."

The depot was obtained in 1992 and plans for restoration began at that time.

"I never anticipated that the restoration would be done so quickly,"
Andersen said. "We figured that the renovation project would take about 20
years to complete. The downstairs renovations went pretty slowly because it
was done by mostly volunteer work, but the grants really sped things up for
the upstairs project."

The total cost for the project since 1992 has been $630,000, most of which
will be paid for from grants and donations received.

The federal grant was a Federal Transportation Enhancement Grant for
$371,000 of which $330,000 was used for construction purposes. The other
$41,000 was for administrative purposes and other assorted expenses. The
renovations were done by Five Star Contracting Inc. of Beatrice.

Central heating and air conditioning were added, as well as a conference
room with kitchen. Along with the new plumbing and woodwork repairs, an
elevator was installed to make the upper floor handicap accessible. The
wooden floors were refinished and the walls were painted. Although the depot
received many new additions, the main goal was to make the depot look as it
did when it was in service.

The depot has several displays containing pictures of former employees of
the Fairbury depot and photos of everyday life while riding the rails. The
depot also features a model railroad that travels through a miniature
version of how Fairbury looked in the 1950s. There is a lot of literature
and research materials for historians as well as a gift shop. Special
speakers, shows, and instructional classes are available throughout the
year.

Along with assisting in the depot's renovations, Andersen has also been
involved with getting some new acquisitions for the reopening. Her most
recent arrival is a locomotive that was purchased from the disbanded
Washington County Railroad Club in Kansas. She found out about the engine's
availability while attending a club meeting where she was trying to obtain
the Kesterson Depot, which has been in Kansas since the mid-1990s.

"I was at a meeting when they mentioned that they were going to put an
engine they had up for sale," Andersen said. "We had been talking about
getting the depot a permanent train for entertainment and educational
purposes, so when they mentioned they had one for sale I was immediately
interested. It didn't take long for the board to approve the purchase.

"We weren't planning on getting a railroad right now, with the renovations
going on, but we feel very fortunate that we were able to obtain it."

The locomotive was built by Bob Kuhlmann of McCook. It is powered by an
eight horsepower gasoline engine, which gives it power to pull passenger
cars holding up to 30 people. The track that came with the engine will cover
half of a city block and be set up just east of the depot grounds.

"We are planning on calling it the Little Blue Railroad and using the
Kesterson depot as an actual loading and unloading building for the train,"
Andersen said. "Unfortunately, there weren't any passenger cars for sale so
we could really use some help from people to help build them so we can get
the railroad up and running."

The Little Blue Railroad will run on Sundays and holidays until Labor Day.

Andersen feels that all the hard work put into the depot's restoration and
its new additions will be worthwhile once people visit the museum and take
advantage of what the new Rock Island Depot Museum has to offer.

"We would really like to thank everyone who donated money and time to the
project," she said. "I think everyone will be happy with the results."

Andersen is also looking for volunteers to get the depot ready for its
reopening. To volunteer, call 729-5131.


=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #334
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org