Christian Shrader - Iowa State Railroad 40th Anniversary

On the morning of October 5th, a Princeville sophomore, Christian Schrader, arrived at his destination: an exclusive event that he and his father had been invited to photograph: the Iowa Interstate Railroad’s 40th anniversary. According to Christian, the event lasted around 4 hours and was hosted to “...Celebrate employees, current and former alike, with a lunch, a train ride, and a day filled with fun for the families.” Also, of course, the 40th anniversary.

The Iowa interstate is the only significant presence of a regional railroad in Iowa and Illinois. In more simple terms, it’s pretty important. Christian reflects, “They started with small second-hand power with low horsepower motors. It is cool to look back and see how far they have come from those days. They now have larger and more modern GE power that has mixed with a few of their SD and GP38s.” The technological advancements due to the railroad’s development over the years make celebrating the anniversary in this way more significant.

 When asked what his favorite part of the event was, he answered, “Being able to have exclusive access to places some employees don’t even have… And of course, being able to photograph it all.” Christian also brings up that he was very proud to be able to “shake his future boss’s hand” as he wishes to work for him (Joe Parsons, the president of the Iowa state railroad)  in the future. 

The fact that one of our very own students was able to be invited to an event like this is truly amazing! It was really cool to hear about it from Christian.