The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad is holding a fundraiser for track maintenance.
This is the train that operates from Abilene to Enterprise and back during the spring and summer. General Manager Ross Boelling says the railroad wasn’t well maintained by previous ownership.
The project will be done in two phases, with the first starting in early March. Phase one will stabilize the track with a $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Dickinson County.
The railroad also has $10,000 in donations and gifts, but needs another $65,000 the first phase.
While maintenance is needed for the tracks, Boelling says the train is still safe to ride.
Most of the railroad ties are well over 70 years old. Boelling says all donations will be tax deductible.
A donation link is available on the railroad’s website.
The railroad has hauled around 250,000 passengers over the past 30 years, with 6,000 just last year.
