Noah Johnson Daily Press Railroad family, volunteers and employees of the Gladstone Recreation Department spent last Thursday morning cleaning the Soo Line 730 steam engine. The Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority cleans the train each year after the winter to get rid of bugs, dirt or any winter debris.

GLADSTONE – Volunteers banded together recently to clean a local piece of history.

John Pickard, president of the Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority, spearheaded a day of cleaning and maintenance on the steam engine that rests in Gladstone.

The group cleans the train each year, and Pickard said they have made significant progress.

“The first time, it was really, really bad,” he said.

Pigeons made the train their home before Pickard and company got rid of them. He said he estimated there were at least 150 birds throughout, on, and near the train.

In 2022, the group sourced funding for a protective net to keep the birds out.

Donated labor for the netting installation was supplied by the Upper Peninsula Michigan Building and Construction Trade Council, led by Ryan Stern and Michael Smith. Brady LeDuc from Loyal Tree Service in Gladstone donated his boom truck for a day, along with a scissor lift donated by Jeff Diebolt and labor from Pete DeHaan from Iversons Building Supply.

The birds were set on getting back to the train, even chewing a hole in the corner of the netting.

“We were able to patch that, and once we got the birds out, now the concern is the spiders,” Pickard said.

Spiders and other bugs were greeted with two sprayers with water provided by the Gladstone City Recreation Department.

Two city employees also joined the effort, taking care of spraying the high points of the train.

“Once we get rid of the spiders and clean it here today, Penoza’s (Pest Control) is coming on Monday (June 23), and they’re going to spray for the spiders, so we should be good through the summer,” Pickard said.

A local business, GreenTree Auto Styling in Escanaba, even donated supplies to the crew to clean the train.

“They donated over $100 of cleaning products for the for the train. Even window cleaner for the glass. So, that was really special,” Pickard said.

Pickard said there’s more work to be done to the train that he would like to accomplish, including the train whistle.

“I’d love to get the whistle going. I’d love to get the bells ringing again and all that kind of stuff, but it takes, it takes money, and it’s all up to the city if they want to do it because it’s their asset,” he said.

After a good scrubbing, the train will be ready to decorate on holidays.

Pickard said the train will be decorated with two American flags for the Fourth of July and again with Christmas lights for Christmas.

Pickard spoke about the authority’s ultimate goal, which is to establish a museum.

“Our ultimate goal is to just acquire some land somewhere in the city, and hopefully, maybe it will be near the railroad tracks,” he said.

“Then I would like to build a depot, a welcome center, and a historical museum. The historical museum will be Gladstone history but also railroad history, but then we can incorporate as we reach out for funds, for log rolling.”

Pickard said it’s a big goal but not impossible.

“If we can raise like $500,000, that’d be enough money to put in our endowment fund that would collect interest on that, and we would never have to touch that $500,000,” he said.

Pickard reiterated the authority’s gratefulness to the volunteers, local organizations, businesses, and the community for all their support.

“The community outpouring of love; they love this train, they want to see it here, see it remain here. It’s been overwhelming,” he said.

The Soo Line is a Pacific-type locomotive built in 1911 by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York.

The decade-old engine, which weighs 493,700 pounds, has traveled 3,612,000 miles.

The Gladstone Michigan Soo Line Steam Engine #730 Authority is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Delta County.

Donations can be made to the Authority through the Community Foundation.