RR Days in Galesburg IL used to be a great event: equipment displays from the BN, the Santa Fe, Amtrak, GE, EMD and often the museums in Union or Monticello. And sometimes Metra equipment for rides through the yard. Plenty of great train watching both in Galesburg and in the outskirts, and a decent model train show to boot. Much changed starting with the creation of the BNSF. The non-railroad parts of RR Days – street festivals, music, games and rides, has changed and moved around a bit over the years but I don’t travel all that way to go to a street festival; that part of RR Days is really for the locals to enjoy.
This year’s version seemed more frustrating and disappointing than ever. A sad looking locomotive was plucked from a dead line and parked near the depot, and the usual school bus rides around the yard were running. But there were no activities or displays near the depot, and no food service either – none of those wonderful pork chop sandwiches as in prior years. The Thirlwell Bridge was closed so no good opportunities to get rare power parked near the service facilities, nor interesting open loads from Caterpillar and other industries. The new locale of the train show at Knox College leaves much to be desired – it was hot and stuffy and there is exactly ONE bathroom stall available to the public in a college fieldhouse that many highschools would regard as sub-part. Many long time vendors don’t seem to attend any more. But it is still a very large and varied show, and after a few years of it partly being a toy and die-cast show, it really was a train show this year.
Word on the street was that the train show may move to a different city. There were even rumors that Galesburg can’t find enough folks to run the festival aspects of RR Days and it might end not with a bang but a whimper. I’d be sorry to lose it but I’m not sure I’d pay for the gas food and lodging to go to a