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There is a poem that Armin Schannuth likes to quote when talking about trains. It’s from Edna St. Vincent Millay.
And while she isn’t the better known poets of the world, her poem “There isn’t a train I wouldn’t take” has a universal ring to it.
Schannuth pauses for a moment and thinks out loud.
“What’s that line...? There isn’t a train going anywhere I wouldn’t take – is that it? I’ve always loved the sound of that. And that’s true. I’d take one anywhere.”
It’s not the exact line, but Schannuth’s heart is in the right place. He’s hoping many people catch that spirit when he sets up his model trains at the Blue Springs Fall Fun Fest beginning on Friday.
Schannuth is standing inside the Chicago and Alton Train Depot in Independence, a historic gem that he helped champion back in the mid-1990s. A lifetime member of the historic depot, Schannuth, like many local train enthusiasts, now has his sights fixed on yet another depot, this one due east in Blue Springs.
But first he would like to show people that trains matter in more ways than one.
“Hopefully being at the festival will help with depot,” he said, referring to the Chicago and Alton Depot in Blue Springs that recently avoided the wrecking ball from Kansas City Southern. Now a group of depot enthusiasts are busily trying to figure out how to save and preserve it.
“It needs saved – I hope I can help.”
One of his biggest concerns about the Blue Springs depot is the question of whether it should be moved at all.
“If commuter rails becomes a reality, won’t they need a depot?” he said. “It might make sense to keep it where it is.”
That’s unlikely, organizers say. It’s located in a Kansas City Southern right of way, and the company wants it moved. One proposed site is south of the current location in a park, where historical members say it may be used as a museum, much like the Independence depot.
For the time being, Schannuth will let his model trains do the talking. At about 2 p.m. Friday, he will have several of them up and running on the front porch of the Dillingham-Lewis Museum north of downtown Blue Springs. The trains will be placed on a large table on an oval track.
There is a poem that Armin Schannuth likes to quote when talking about trains. It’s from Edna St. Vincent Millay.
And while she isn’t the better known poets of the world, her poem “There isn’t a train I wouldn’t take” has a universal ring to it.
Schannuth pauses for a moment and thinks out loud.
“What’s that line...? There isn’t a train going anywhere I wouldn’t take – is that it? I’ve always loved the sound of that. And that’s true. I’d take one anywhere.”
It’s not the exact line, but Schannuth’s heart is in the right place. He’s hoping many people catch that spirit when he sets up his model trains at the Blue Springs Fall Fun Fest beginning on Friday.
Schannuth is standing inside the Chicago and Alton Train Depot in Independence, a historic gem that he helped champion back in the mid-1990s. A lifetime member of the historic depot, Schannuth, like many local train enthusiasts, now has his sights fixed on yet another depot, this one due east in Blue Springs.
But first he would like to show people that trains matter in more ways than one.
“Hopefully being at the festival will help with depot,” he said, referring to the Chicago and Alton Depot in Blue Springs that recently avoided the wrecking ball from Kansas City Southern. Now a group of depot enthusiasts are busily trying to figure out how to save and preserve it.
“It needs saved – I hope I can help.”
One of his biggest concerns about the Blue Springs depot is the question of whether it should be moved at all.
“If commuter rails becomes a reality, won’t they need a depot?” he said. “It might make sense to keep it where it is.”
That’s unlikely, organizers say. It’s located in a Kansas City Southern right of way, and the company wants it moved. One proposed site is south of the current location in a park, where historical members say it may be used as a museum, much like the Independence depot.
For the time being, Schannuth will let his model trains do the talking. At about 2 p.m. Friday, he will have several of them up and running on the front porch of the Dillingham-Lewis Museum north of downtown Blue Springs. The trains will be placed on a large table on an oval track.
Among those he plans to show include what western Missouri train enthusiasts call the Puddle Jumper (eastern residents call it the Hound Dog), a General Pershing Zepher and an Illinois Central Gulf train, among others.
Mary Potter, president of the Blue Springs Historical Society, said it’s the society’s plan to feature more train memorabilia in the future. She asks that any train collectors interested in showing their treasures to contact her at 816-797-4870.
“Trains have always been a fascination for kids and adults,” Potter said. “We’re also hoping that during the festival we can make our visitors aware of our need to save our train depot as a museum.”
Of course, there is the matter of weather. If the rains roll in and the wind whips up, Schannuth may pull the plug.
By last count, the Higginsville-born Schannuth doesn’t know the exact number of trains he owns. Maybe 100. More like 75, he said.
“A lot of them are in boxes,” he said. “I’m not really sure how many I have. I’ve kept a number of them and sold others.”
He started collecting a wide variety of model trains about 25 years ago. His interest was modest, but it grew. His story is not much different than millions of older adults, who lived their childhood permanently fixated by the glorious glow of the train.
“Every kid when I was growing up loved trains,” he said. “Just something about them.”
One of his most prized model trains is a Lionel 484, a replica of a 1950s steam engine. Seeing it operate brings back a few memories, he said.
As the older collectors pass away, more and more collectible trains enter the market. One woman he knows faced the grim duty of selling a basement full of model trains following the death of her husband, who kept them pristine and away from curious hands.
In spite of what many believe, Schannuth isn’t a train engineer – yet. He says he’s currently receiving on the job training as an operator. The 72-year-old will operate a 1,200 horse power diesel locomotive, owned and operated by the Missouri Farmers Association.
“There’s nothing quite like it,” he said.
It makes him want to recite Millay’s poem in its entirety – if only he could remember it.
“My heart is warm with friends I make,
and better friends I’ll not be knowing;
yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take,
no matter where it’s going.”
