ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Next week, Delta County is invited to a new event designed for train enthusiasts.
On Friday, September 13, the Gladstone Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority will host Railroad Day at the U.P. Steam & Gas Engine Association Antique Village, located at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. The event is free to attend and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Railroad Day will feature more than 30 vendors, including the Little Red Caboose mobile food truck. The village blacksmith will use railroad spikes to make knives, and the Model Railroad Club display will be open to the public.
The Gladstone Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority works to preserve the steam engine that sits along M-35 in Gladstone. Authority President John Pickard says Railroad Day will be a celebration of the local railroad’s history and its influence on the community.
“At one time, there was over five railroads just in our area,” he said. “Later on, the Soo Line was looking for a port here in Gladstone, and they were given 160 acres of land here. They’ll have all that history on display at the Steam & Gas Engine Village, so we invite everybody to come out and find out about a little bit of Delta County history as well.”
As a nonprofit, the Gladstone Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority accepts donations through the Community Foundation for Delta County to fund engine upkeep and in the hope of one day constructing a welcome center. Checks can be made out to the Community Foundation for Delta County, in care of Soo Line Steam Engine #730. For more information, call 906-786-6654 or email office@cfup.org.
Railroad Day coincides with the annual Soo Line Historical and Technical Society Convention, which is scheduled for September 12 – 15 at the Island Resort & Casino. WZMQ 19 will have coverage of the convention and more Soo Line Engine #730 history on Thursday, September 12.
