EVER WONDERED HOW A RAILROAD OPERATES?

LEARN: RAILROAD SAFETY, TRAIN OPERATIONS, & DISPATCHING!

For Immediate Release – Thursday January 7, 2010

Connersville, Indiana - The Historic Whitewater Valley Railroad`s Annual Training Classes will be held beginning February 6, 2010 at the South Connersville Yard Complex located at 300 South Eastern Avenue, Connersville, Indiana. These free classes are open to the public and do not require membership to the non-profit Whitewater Valley Railroad.

Ever wondered how a railroad REALLY operates? This is your chance to take a hands-on class leading to actual excursion passenger train operation on a short line heritage railway. Free training includes classroom instruction, hands-on practice in train operations, signaling and switching, and an introduction to diesel and steam locomotive operation. Adult trainees will have direct practice in coupling cars, and the opportunity to operate a full size historic diesel locomotive.

Free classes are conducted for eight successive Saturdays starting February 6, 2010, at the Whitewater Valley Railroad South Connersville Yard Complex in Connersville. Each session will begin at 9:01 a.m. each Saturday, running no later than 1:01 PM. The final class will be held on March 27, 2010. The free training class is open to everyone. There is a small charge ($20, subject to change without notice) for printed materials used in the course. Clothing suitable for working out of doors in a winter railroad environment is recommended.

The primary purpose is to train new volunteer members to help operate the historic Whitewater Valley Railroad. The class is not intended to train railroaders for professional jobs, but a number of our volunteers have, in fact, gone on to railroad train service careers after working a year or two on our railroad. Upon successful graduation from the class you will be able to start your training as a student brakeman given you meet the minimum age requirement of 18. More details are available during the classes.

Established in 1972, the Whitewater Valley Railroad is a non profit railroad history organization. It is an operating railroad museum dedicated to the preservation of a historic branch line railroad, the restoration of railroad equipment, and to the conduct of railroad educational programs. The railroad is operated by volunteers and all proceeds from operations and events are used to further the organization' s ongoing preservation mission.

Come to Connersville for this chance to lean about railroading, and return to a time when the railroad moved the nation and the short line railroad was a small town's best friend. Call (765) 825-2054 for more information or visit the Whitewater Valley Railroad's web site at http://www.whitewatervalleyrr.org/ .

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William W. Gray, Publicity Officer
Whitewater Valley Railroad
http://www.whitewatervalleyrr.org/
http://www.wvrrmuseum.org/

Celebrating Over 37 Years of Operations, The Whitewater Valley Railroad is an operating railroad museum dedicated to the preservation of a historic branch line railroad, to the restoration of railroad equipment, and to the conduct of educational railroad programs.