SILVIS, Ill. — In one of the largest expansions in railroad preservation in recent decades, Minneapolis-based Railroading Heritage of Midwest America/The Friends of the 261 will expand operations into the former National Railway Equipment (NRE) shop complex in the Quad Cities community of Silvis.
The 90-acre facility was once the main shop of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The Silvis facility has more than 10 miles of track; the main shop building is 400,000 square feet with multiple overhead cranes. It includes a wheel shop, warehouse space, locomotive wheel drop table, multiple overhead cranes and several other smaller shop buildings. The complex is served by Iowa Interstate Railroad, BNSF Railway, and Canadian Pacific Railway. The group has been negotiating to move into the complex throughout the last half of 2021.
RRHMA subsidiary Friends of the 261 owns and operates Milwaukee Road steam locomotive No. 261 based in Minneapolis. Steve Sandberg, president and chief operating officer of the RRHAMA/Friends, said the organization currently has no plans to permanently move No. 261 to the complex, although it could be moved to Illinois to pull excursion trains on a temporary basis.
“This takes our organization to a whole new level,” Sandberg said in a news release. “We are excited about the possibilities; I believe this is one of the boldest moves for historic and railroad preservation in recent history. The Quad Cities is home to such industrial giants as John Deere and is the backbone of American industry.”
Under the agreement, a portion of the shop will be leased back to NRE over the next five years, to help generate revenue to help offset the cost of the acquisition. Sandberg said the organization hopes to use portions of the facility for steam locomotive restoration and repairs, diesel repairs, passenger car work, and historical preservation. To help support the facility the 261 organization will explore freight car storage, transloading, and eventually a museum. In future years the Friends hopes to run diesel and/or steam powered Holiday-themed trains at the complex, which is adjacent to the Iowa Interstate Railroad main line.
“This historic shop complex and the City of Silvis are part of the greater Quad Cities area which has a population of nearly 500,000. We hope to work with local and state officials to bring more tourism to the region,” Sandberg said. “This will be the largest historic restoration facility in the United States, which we think will be a major attraction for the area. The facility is currently not open to the public, but we hope to change that in the future. We hope to someday construct a railroad museum in part of the complex.”
In 1902, Rock Island chose Silvis as the site of its largest locomotive repair shop, a central hub for its network that would eventually include a general stores department, repair shop, roundhouse, and large freight yard. Rock Island continued to use the shop until it shut down in March 1980. It was later acquired by National Railway Equipment.
NRE closed the Silvis shop in March 2021 as part of a plan to consolidate rail operations to its shops in Mt. Vernon, Ill., and Paducah, Ky. Since its founding in 1984, NRE has grown to become the world’s largest independent supplier of leased locomotives and new and remanufactured locomotives; electrical components; and field services.
Milwaukee Road 261, built in 1944 by American Locomotive Co., has pulled excursion trains around the United States, including the Quad Cities since it was restored to operating condition in 1993. It was donated by the Milwaukee Road to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wis. in 1956 and moved to the museum in 1958. After leasing the engine from the museum in 1992, in 2010 the Friends purchased the locomotive. In addition to the 4-8-4, the Friends owns a large fleet of passenger cars and former Milwaukee Road E9 No. 32A, all located in Minneapolis. Some of the equipment could be displayed at a new Silvis museum when not in excursion train use.
The Friends of the 261 is accepting donations to offset the cost of the project and is urging supporters to donate and become members of the organization by visiting www.261.com. A new website has also been developed for Railroading Heritage of Midwest America at www.rrhma.com.
I wonder if this site could now become a national center for heavy repair and/or fabrication for the rail heritage industry. I also could see working with trade schools and community colleges to have an education base for the industry. Nevertheless, having your own facility is a great opportunity. Blessings
Glad to see it not becoming another industrial park…
This a lot to maintain and cover. Are they assuming 9 out of the 10 miles of track storage going to cover most of their expenses? Taking a cynical view but upsizing your fixed cost w assets doesn’t necessarily translate into a better outcome unless you have the dollars day in and day out to maintain.
Having a large indoor shop space is amazing.
Something that belonged to The Rock still standing is amazing! That was a decrepit railroad 43 years ago!
The shop building is a very important facility both now and far into the future. Hope that the building has adequate fire protection. If not, that IMO is a first to be corrected. Too many steam shops are fire prone due to coal dust everywhere.
I knew the 261 Friends wanted a second E-Unit but that’s one hell of an upsell NRE made.
“Customers that purchased E-units have also bought 400,000 SF shop buildings…”
Tight squeeze for one steam engine and one E-Unit.
Is that the world’s biggest backshop? I watched trains at Silvis in 1979 but don’t recall the shop building, only the switching moves. My memory is how AWFUL the newly painted “The Rock” locos looked with dirt on them and how badly they clashed with the older red and maroon liveries, which also clashed with each other.
This is an excellent opportunity and an impressive challenge. The Friends of 261 have done and continue to do some great work so I have faith that if it can be done, they will get it done.
Lots of opportunity for them there!