Young Guns in Preservation: Christopher Schmidt

Wisconsin’s East Troy Railroad Museum garners an impressive volunteer base. Many are young individuals with a keen interest in preserving and operating the 7-mile, electric interurban line, along with its collection of trolleys and streetcars. Those volunteers made a lasting impression on 31-year-old Christopher Schmidt, who now wears multiple hats for the organization by volunteering in operations, maintenance, and public relations.

How did you get involved in rail preservation?

Christopher Schmidt: I first got brought out to East Troy by my dad when I was 8 years old. It was only 15 minutes up the road from us, so I rode the trolleys many times as a kid. Then at around 22, I figured, since starting to get back into the hobby, I should see what’s going on out there.

I found that nearly half of the organization itself was fairly young. There were probably six of us that were in our 20s. It was alluring for a younger guy to say, “Wow!” You don’t feel so intimidated by older guys that have known it and done it. When you’re all learning together, it makes it a lot more fun. That was one of the lynchpins because when you have a group of guys that get together, we don’t want to tell you no. There’s kind of that nurturing effect from all of us, and you feel like you’re on an even playing field.

So it started out as, “Hey, would you like to learn to operate and do whatever you can to help?” And it spiraled from there.

As a young preservationist, what have you found to be the most challenging aspects in the industry?

Christopher Schmidt: Getting people involved would be the most difficult thing that we’ve dealt with here. You get some folks that’ll come in and I don’t think they realize their potential. They feel that maybe they can’t jump into something, or they’re worried about not having a specific skill set. But we always say that we can teach you anything.

I can tell you that from working with some of our motormen and conductors, who are approaching 80 years old versus us in our late 20s-early 30s, there is a softer approach to how we do things. I think a lot of people respond well to that. When you come in on the day-to-day, we always make a point — and this is something I’ve noticed being beneficial — that you come to the organization one time, and I guarantee you one person already remembers your name.

What’s been the most rewarding for you so far?

Christopher Schmidt: I think the ability to have my hands in about five restorations and bringing home three cars to the museum.

Chicago Transit Authority No. 4439 came from Ohio, and myself and the crew went out there to secure it and bring it back here. We did the same with our LaCrosse Streetcar No. 56, which was in a longtime member’s front yard up in Richfield, Wis. Myself and another gentleman from the museum also went to the Connecticut Trolley Museum to get North Shore Line No. 162.

It’s a labor of love to see these cars go from where they were just sitting, to bringing them home and poised for restoration. With No. 4439 personally, I helped rebuild and paint the floor. To now have it operating and knowing that you had a hand in something like that, it’s really rewarding.

Where do you see rail preservation as it is today and what do you hope it’ll become for the future?

Christopher Schmidt: Even with its ups and downs, it’s probably the strongest I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. As we go forward, I think there’ll be a little more consolidation amongst some organizations while seeing bits and pieces of collections moved around. But I think you’re still going to see a lot more equipment coming back online to operation.

There will also be a lot more people entering the hobby and preservation efforts. Volunteering at East Troy, but also being a model railroader, I’ve seen one of the biggest young influxes in my time being part of the hobbies. I hope you’ve seen the same as well.

What advice would you give for any young person looking to get involved in the industry?

Christopher Schmidt: Best piece of advice I think I could give is don’t be afraid to walk up, get involved, and ask questions. Just take that leap and get into it because if you don’t, there’s not always somebody else standing waiting for it as well. You will be the change that’s coming in the hobby.

Contact Trains.com Staff Writer, Lucas Iverson to help spotlight the next young gun in rail preservation.