Photos and story by Monty Siekerman

Hopefully, the caboose in the Railroad Park downtown will get a new lease on life. Hopefully, in 2016.

An expert on trains and their restoration met with townspeople, city officials, professors and students on Monday afternoon to see what needs to be done to spruce up and repair the caboose and how much the work will cost.

The caboose is an important part of the park...it is used as a background for photographs on an almost daily basis, children enjoy climbimg the stairs and turning the steering wheels, train buffs study it, and, for many, the caboose brings back memories of the heyday of trains.

The caboose (train folks call them rail cars) is an original one from the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was placed here in 1989.

Scott Trostel, of near Sidney, knows something about trains. He has written 50 (yes, 50) books about trains.

While in Ada, he described the history of trains that traversed the town, and what needed to be looked at when restoring the caboose in the park. It's more than slapping on a coat of paint.

Previously, Mayor Dave Retterer talked with Tom Zechman, assistant dean for academic and student affairs and assistant professor of civil engineering, to get his help.

Zechman will work with three students who are taking a course titled Engineering Project and Community Service. Together they will come up with a plan and estimated cost for the project.

Students assisting are Camden Brown of Arlington, mechanical; Victoria Smith of Dunkirk, civil; and Nick Hess of Springfield, civil engineering.

After Trostel talked at the engineering building, several in the group accompanied him to the park to view the condition of the caboose.

(The next Ada Icon article will tell about how the caboose came to Ada, how important the train was to the community, and, sadly, and that an oft-repeated fact about the train here is false...time to rewrite some local history.)

Photo below:

Train expert Scott Trostel meets with ONU engineering students about restoring the caboose in the Railroad Park. Students are (from left) Camden Brown of Arlington, Victoria Smith of Dunkirk, and Nick Hess of Springfield.