Santa Fe Station to host Train Day this weekend

A celebration of National Train Day will be Saturday at the Santa Fe Station, 413 E. Seventh St. in Lawrence.

Train Day, now in its seventh year, commemorates the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. The event will be celebrated in rail stations across the country this weekend.

Lawrence’s observance of the holiday is sponsored by Depot Redux, a local volunteer organization dedicated to the restoration and redevelopment of the Amtrak station in Lawrence.

As part of the festivities, Topeka-based railroad historian Dave Calwell will give a presentation of historic railway artifacts from his personal collection acquired over a 34-year career in the railroad industry. In an authentic, original Sante Fe conductor’s uniform, Calwell will show off items such as dining car china, railroad hats and uniforms, lanterns and slices of actual rails.

Participants at this year’s event can register to win a door prize of two round-trip Amtrak tickets from Kansas City to St. Louis. The winner must be present at the 3:30 drawing. Refreshments and other freebies will be distributed.

Lawrence mayor Mike Amyx will also be on hand to make brief remarks. The city recently received a federally funded $1.2 million grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation. Along with matching funds from the city, the grant will go toward a new roof for the station, new heating and cooling systems, expanded parking, accessible restrooms and other improvements. Work on the first phase of the project is slated to begin later this year.

Amtrak makes stops at Lawrence’s Santa Fe Station twice daily. Last year, more than 8,000 passengers utilized the station.

For more information on National Train Day and Depot Redux, visit depotredux.org.