For the love of trains

WATERMAN – Pete Robinson loves trains.

His phone ringtone is a train whistle and he married his wife Charleen standing on a special wedding train car he built. Even when out shopping or at church, he’s recognized by everyone in town because of his love and involvement with trains. Robinson is more commonly known as Pete from Pete’s Train.

Robinson, who runs the Waterman and Western Railroad with his wife, is celebrating his 22nd season at Lions Club Park, 435 S. Birch St. in Waterman. The railroad has multiple holiday trains, including the Holiday Lights Train at Christmas, the Pumpkin Train at Halloween and a train with the Easter Bunny for Easter. The trains also will be open for the The Waterman Lions Summerfest and Antique Tractor and Truck Show on July 18. The railroad’s summer season began last weekend; the train is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays until Labor Day.

Robinson met with MidWeek reporter Katrina Milton to discuss how the Waterman and Western Railroad got its start, what upkeep and maintenance is needed on the trains and how the railroad is recovering after $20,000 worth of vandalism damage in December.

Milton: Are you the owner of the Waterman and Western Railroad?

Robinson: The train belongs to my wife, Charleen. It is entirely in her name. She is very involved, just not with the mechanics. She is usually the first person you see when you arrive. She is a ticket seller, she runs the shelter house and she makes and sells fudge, popcorn and hot chocolate. She does a lot of the scheduling of people and handles all of the paper work. She runs the ticket booth and concession stand.

Milton: What are some of your duties?

Robinson: I do everything from plan events to rebuilding train cars. I am actually rebuilding one of the original train cars now because the wood started to rot. I also make my own wheel sets, so that they’re all the same. Our couplers are also cast at a foundry.

Milton: What is the Waterman and Western Railroad?

Robinson: It is a quart scale miniature train. We have nine riding cars, a caboose, a steel car, a Colorado car and a handicapped car. We also have three maintenance cars that are used when we work on the track. We have a snow blower and a rail bus, or a self-propelled car. There are two locomotives that run and are operative, and the third one is being restored. The color theme is a mix of the Milwaukee and Union Pacific colors from the 1950s streamliner era. The colors are armor yellow, red and gray.

Milton: What are some unique aspects of the railroad?

Robinson: Well, our engines are Wisconsin four-cylinder gas engines, and they use regular gasoline, just like your car. They burn about 1.6 to 2 gallons an hour. Our air horn sounds just like a real locomotive. The horn is the type used from the early 1940s until the 1970s. It is air operated, so it sounds just like a real train. And we use real train commands, blowing the horn twice to start and one toot when we stop. We also have Burlington Northern Santa Fe operating gates. They were donated to us when they were redoing the railroad crossing in downtown Rochelle.

Milton: How fast does the train go?

Robinson: The top speed is 12 miles per hour, but we usually go 6 to 8 miles per hour with passengers on board.

Milton: Why do you use that kind of whistle instead of another?

Robinson: Our train is a lot of children’s first up-close look at a train. I want it to be a real experience. Just last week, my two grandsons came out to visit, one is half a year old, the other is 2 and a half. I wanted it to be an experience he remembers the rest of his life.

Milton: Do you do a lot of rebuilding and maintenance?

Robinson: We replace about 300 feet of track a year. We put down new ties, new ballasts, everything but the steel rail. The ballasts sink, the ties rust. We are continuously updating it, just like the big railroad. … I have been a mechanic all my life. I worked in a hardware store in high school. Then I took classes about machining at Kishwaukee College. Together with a couple of friends, Rick Fenhouse, who I’ve known for 30 years, and Bob Bach, who I’ve known for 40 years, we do all the maintenance on the trains. One person could not do it all.

Milton: Have you always liked trains?

Robinson: I remember going to West Lake Kiddieland in West Lake, Ohio, for my 5th birthday. My dad bought both my brother and me a strip of tickets because 12 tickets were $1 back then. My brother rode every ride in the park once. I rode the train 12 times. Ever since then, I wanted one of those trains. So I went out and built one, one that could pull eight to 10 cars. … I first started building the locomotive in 1985, and I finished in 1990. It was first used up in the Wisconsin Dells, but it was moved to this site in 1994.

Milton: Can you tell me more about the damage this past December?

Robinson: The baby Jesus was taken out of the manger and thrown over the fence into the softball field. Three arches that are 12 feet tall and 24 feet wide, with solid steel rods, were bent down to the ground. There was damage to the arches, rope lights and decorations. They pulled and ripped cords right out of the decorations. They knocked down and destroyed 8-foot plywood snowmen. It was raw vandalism and nobody was ever caught.

Milton: How did you first notice the damage?

Robinson: We ran the night before, and everything was fine. I came in the next day, I remember the date, it was 12/13/14, and I saw that a church was blown over. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw that candles were missing, that the arches were bent down. We were planning on opening early, but we opened late. But we did open that night. I got on the phone and called people I knew. It took 10 people more than five hours to get us up and running again. And it’s interesting, because on the night that it happened, 12/13/14, it was the biggest night we ever had, and the best turn out. People didn’t know about the damage that night, they found out about a week or so later.

Milton: Were the police involved?

Robinson: I called the police immediately, and a report was filed. Ever since then, there has been more police action at the park and security cameras were installed. I am very proud of our police department. They come out and patrol two to four times a day or every two or three hours. During Christmas and Halloween seasons, they come every hour, if not more often. They have no problem showing a police presence.

Milton: Did people help out after the vandalism?

Robinson: $2,000 was raised through a Go Fund Me account. 1803 Candles Inc. donated thousands of dollars, as well as the Aurora Sportsman Club. People would walk up and donate money to us. They told us about their support and said kind words, about how they were glad we fixed it and opened. … The community’s support has been incredible. I was hurt and aggravated when it first happened, but their support was a positive influence on my life. It’s a great thing to see people smile. One lady came and told me that she’s been taking her grandkids here for 17 years and to keep it up. I didn’t start the railroad for money or notoriety. I did it because I love trains and want other people to love trains, too.