08/24/2026
Every Journey Begins Somewhere…
Ours began with 100 feet of track.
Three years ago today, we broke ground on what, at the time, probably seemed like a pretty crazy dream.
Before #6154 could ever make her way to Troy, we first had to build a place for her to come home to.
The ground had to be prepared. A truckload of stone was spread. Railroad ties were carefully laid. Rails were positioned. And one by one, the spikes were driven.
One hundred feet of railroad track—built by hand.
Every bit of the material was donated.
Every hour of labor was volunteered.
And every person who showed up brought something else that couldn't be bought or delivered on a truck:
They brought belief in what we were trying to do.
At the time, we were simply focused on the next job in front of us. Move the stone. Set the ties. Lay the rail. Drive the spikes.
Then get #6154 to Troy.
But today, three years later, it's almost overwhelming to stand back and look at what those first 100 feet of track started.
Today, #6154 sits proudly beside the Cheshire Railroad Depot. She welcomes visitors, holds stories and memories, and gives us a tangible connection to an era of railroad history that might otherwise slowly disappear.
And around her, something else has happened.
People have donated railroad artifacts. They've shared photographs and memories. Volunteers have given countless hours. Visitors have walked through our doors and told us stories about parents, grandparents, railroaders and journeys taken long ago.
Children have climbed aboard and discovered railroad history perhaps for the very first time.
And somehow, along the way, this became about so much more than saving an old railroad car.
When you live something every day, you tend to see the next project, the next repair, the next event and the next thing that needs to be done.
Sometimes you forget to turn around and look at how far you've already traveled.
Today, we're turning around.
We're remembering a truckload of stone.
We're remembering those railroad ties.
We're remembering the sound of spikes being driven into the rails.
And we're remembering the people who believed enough to help build 100 feet of track for a railroad car that wasn't even here yet.
To every person who donated materials, swung a hammer, moved stone, laid a tie, positioned a rail, drove a spike, donated an artifact, volunteered an hour, shared a story or simply believed in what we were trying to accomplish…
Look what you helped build.
Three years ago, we weren't just laying railroad track.
We were laying the first 100 feet of a journey that is still being written.
And what an incredible journey it has been.
Every journey begins somewhere…
Ours began right here.
“Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for believing in us and believing in #6154.”
