Train excursion a treat for enthusiasts

HOMESTEAD - There were whoops and grins from about two dozen people milling near the train tracks Saturday afternoon as steam locomotive No. 6988 chugged through the unincorporated town of Homestead, belching black soot as it passed weathered buildings of brick and wood.

The camera-toting spectators weren't there to greet the roughly 650 people aboard the train, which originated in Rock Island, Ill., and briefly paused in Iowa City before it moved on to Homestead. It then turned around on Homestead's western edge and began its return trip, aiming for a 5 p.m. arrival in Rock Island

Rather, these train enthusiasts, with license plates from as far away as Texas, were here to catch a glimpse of No. 6988 as it helped bring the old Rock Island Railroad back to life - if just for a weekend.

Ronald Siebert of Batesville, Ind., traveled solo from Batesville on Friday and said he would be chasing trains through today.

“I do this whenever they have it,” he said.

The Rock Island line doesn't regularly see passengers anymore, and nor do steam engines except for these special occasions. The engine was surpassed by electric and diesel engines beginning in the 1930s.

But Saturday's excursion was part of Rock Island's annual train festival, which attracts train lovers from all over the country and brings in millions of dollars for the Quad Cities, according to the festival's sponsors.

Unlike the train passengers, the enthusiasts in Homestead weren't paid festival-goers; they were just footing the bill for their vehicles' gas. They followed the train along its route, snapping pictures and taking video as it chugged through select towns and then running back to their cars and speeding to the next choice photo opportunity.

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