By Railfan & Railroad Staff
The purchase of the historic Silvis Shops and subsequent acquisition of significant Union Pacific locomotives and other rolling stock by Railroading Heritage of Midwest America earned recognition by the HeritageRail Alliance as the 2023 recipient of its Jim Wrinn Award for the biggest railway preservation story of the year.
That and other awards were announced on September 23 at the annual conference of HeritageRail Alliance, the official trade group for North American tourist railways and museums. Its top award was named in honor of former Trains Magazine Editor Jim Wrinn. The award was created following his death in 2022.
Other award categories and recipients are:
Significant Achievement-Infrastructure
Timber Heritage Museum for its restoration and acquisition of the former Hammond Lumber Company Samoa Shops complex.
Significant Achievement-Steam
EBT Foundation for the restoration of East Broad Top 2-8-2 #16.
Significant Achievement-Diesel
Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society for the restoration of Nickel Plate SD9 #358.
Significant Achievement-Traction
Fox River Trolley Museum for the restoration of Chicago Aurora & Elgin interurban #458.
Significant Achievement-Freight Car
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum for the restoration of West Side Lumber tank car #2.
Significant Achievement-Non-revenue car
Illinois Railway Museum, for the restoration Pennsylvania bobber caboose #476199.
Significant Achievement-Archives
Canadian Railroad Historical Association, for the continuing project to catalog and conserve the Canadian Pacific archives.
Friend of Railway Preservation
Amherst Railway Society for its financial support of railway preservation.
Lifetime Achievement
Jim Schantz, for his career at Seashore Trolley Museum, service to the Association of Railway Museums/HeritageRail Alliance, and his support for new heritage trolley lines.
Rod Fishburn, for his career at Southern California Railway Museum and service to the Association of Railway Museums/HeritageRail Alliance, including running the national Parts List.
The late George Walker, for his career at Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and his influence on railway preservation in the Southeast.
For more information about HeritageRail Alliance and its awards program, contact Aaron Isaacs, Awards Committee Chair at aaronmona@aol.com.
