(The Iowa Interstate Railroad issued the following on September 5.)
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — On October 18-19, 2008 the Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) will operate Railroad Development Corporation’s (RDC’s) 2 QJ-type steam locomotives on two days of special events to benefit The Salvation Army’s efforts to assist communities impacted by June flooding. A variety of rail-oriented events and rail excursions will be held, with the City of Rock Island, Illinois acting as host and coordinator of the event.
At 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 18, a double-headed freight train will leave Iowa City, Iowa for Rock Island, Illinois, with the objective of setting “a new record for steam-hauled revenue tonnage in the 21st century.” Upon arrival at Rock Island, at the railyard at 1st Avenue and 17th Street, the locomotives will then be split to operate passenger excursion shuttles east to Silvis, Illinois, and west to Walcott, Iowa. The day’s events will culminate with an evening dinner train, with catering to be provided by RDC “celebrity chefs” from Pittsburgh, Cedar Rapids, Peru, and Guatemala. Finally, on Sunday, October 19, a one-way limited excursion train will operate from Rock Island to Iowa City, accompanying the QJs back to their home in Iowa.
RDC and IAIS Chairman Henry Posner III commented, “By October, the economic impact of the flooding experienced in June will have been long forgotten. The people of Iowa and Illinois don’t like to complain, and it is their nature to deal with problems in a spirit of self-reliance, but in this case we would like to remind the greater community that there have been thousands of lives disrupted, and that they should not be forgotten.”
IAIS President & CEO Dennis Miller commented, “Although it has taken us some time to recover from our flood damage, we have not forgotten the many people who also suffered losses and were assisted by The Salvation Army. We hope these events will help to replenish their much needed funds in order to continue their valuable service to our communities. All proceeds from the events will be donated to The Salvation Army.”
Trip DetailsSaturday, October 18, 2008noon Rock Island to Silvis and return1 p.m. Rock Island to Walcott and return2 p.m. Rock Island to Silvis and return3 p.m. Rock Island to Walcott and return4 p.m. Rock Island to Silvis and return
320 coach tickets will be sold per trip on the train rides toward Silvis and Walcott. Trips will last approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are available for a $40 donation. Tickets for children 12 years and under are available for a $25 donation (with purchase of adult ticket), and children 3 years and under are free if not occupying a seat. Children’s tickets are only available for these Saturday excursions.
Saturday, October 18, 20086 p.m. Dinner train
A limited 116 tickets will be sold for this trip which includes the full-course “celebrity chef” dinner. The dinner train trip will last approximately three hours. Passengers will ride in two classic dining cars, the IAIS’ “Abraham Lincoln” and BNSF’s “Powder River.” Dinner train tickets are available for a $150 donation.
Sunday, October 19, 20088:30 a.m. Rock Island to Iowa City (one-way)
The train will consist of coach and first class cars. 200 coach and 100 premium tickets will be sold for this trip which includes bus transportation back from Iowa City to Rock Island. An option will be available for riders to catch the bus in Iowa City at 6:45 a.m. to come to Rock Island to ride the train. Coach seats for this trip require a $125 donation and premium seats require a $200 donation.
All train trips will leave from downtown Rock Island in the railyard at 1st Avenue and 17th Street.
The passenger cars on the train are historic in nature, and do not have accommodations for lifts or other accessibility; passengers will need to climb a set of stairs to enter and exit the train. Restrooms are not available on the Saturday afternoon coach car excursions. Coach cars are not heated or air conditioned; please dress appropriately for weather conditions. The first-class equipment used on Saturday’s dinner train and Sunday’s trip to Iowa City are equipped with restrooms, heating, and air conditioning.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.rigov.org (click on “train tickets” under important links). Customers will first have to establish an account before tickets can be purchased.
Tickets can also be purchased through Rock Island Parks and Recreation by calling 309.732.PARK (7275) or in person at 1320 24th Street, Rock Island, Illinois from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST Monday through Friday.
Special hotel rates will be available as part of the excursions online at www.visitquadcities.com.
Event day activities“Rail Ride for Flood Relief” event t-shirts will be sold for a $20 donation. A limited-edition shirt (100 maximum) is available for a $35 donation prior to the event and $40 on-site. The shirt will feature a same-day photo of the record-setting steam-hauled tonnage pull from Iowa City to Rock Island that will start the event.
T-shirts can be purchased in advance at www.rigov.org, by calling 309.732.PARK, or in person at 1320 24th Street, Rock Island. Any remaining t-shirts will be sold event day.
Hy-Vee will sell lunch and snacks on Saturday, October 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. near the railyard. The Rock Island Hy-Vee will make a donation from the proceeds, which will be matched by the Hy-Vee corporate office, to The Salvation Army.
Supporting The Salvation ArmyAll profits from the ticket sales and t-shirt sales will be donated to The Salvation Army to help with flood relief efforts in Iowa and Illinois.
Financial support is still needed for flood relief. For example, in the Cedar Rapids area alone, The Salvation Army has served over 125,000 individuals including more than 98,000 meals and nearly 332,000 snack and hydration items through its mobile feeding operations. The Army averaged $15,000 – $20,000 per day in expenses in the first 30 days of its disaster response efforts.
These rides are being provided through the courtesy of the Iowa Interstate Railroad (www.iaisrr.com), Railroad Development Corporation (www.rrdc.com) and the City of Rock Island in return for a donation toward The Salvation Army and their flood relief efforts in Iowa and Illinois. Assistance and support is also being provided by the BNSF Railway (www.bnsf.com).