23rd Fostoria Rail Festival nears

FOSTORIA — Make no mistake — Ellen Gatrell is thrilled that the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society's annual Rail Festival annually draws in the upwards of 1,000 people from a number of states and Canada to the Fostoria City Schools campus and the Iron Triangle Rail Park to mingle amongst fellow railroad enthusiasts and take in sights such as elaborate model train setups, close-up train travel and the inside of a mid-1960s B&O Railroad caboose.It would, however, be extra meaningful to her if more local residents would get off their own physical cabooses and make their way to the festival to find out more about an industry that has been a Fostoria staple since the 19th century.Your next chance to put the "local" into a local festival comes for the 23rd time a week from today. Food, drink, model railroads and railroad memorabilia will be available for indulgence at Fostoria Junior/Senior High School, 1001 Park Avenue, and Fostoria Elementary School, 1202 H.L. Ford Drive, between 10 a.m., and 4 p.m. Admission will be $6 per person, though youngsters age 10 and under will get in for free. Also, parking on the school grounds will be free.The rail park, 499 S. Poplar St., is open to the public all day, every day, at no cost, as it has been since 2013.Gatrell, who is secretary/treasurer of the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society, said periodic inquiries have found that the festival has attracted visitors from 14 states and from across the United States' northern borders."Every couple of years, I have the people at the doors ask for hometowns," Gatrell said. "Out of 1,000 people, of those coming through the doors, maybe we've had 50 to 60 from Fostoria. That's not too much. ... And I want people to understand, 'Come and enjoy the trains. Learn more about them.'"Many Fostoria residents have grown up around — and trying to avoid — train traffic, Gatrell said, so perhaps that in itself leads to locals being indifferent toward the transportation giants. Others, though, have a greater appreciation for how trains operate and the roles they've taken in local and American history."I thoroughly enjoy bringing this to Fostoria," said Gatrell, a lifetime Fostoria resident, who offers two words to those who complain about having their travels disrupted by trains: "underpasses" and "overpasses." "We need more people to understand: It's not bad. If you don't like trains, that's OK, but this is a hobby and that rail park promotes it."The tourism that the festival attracts is considerable, Gatrell said. And, in a matter of minutes a train enthusiast can go from watching a model railroad operate to viewing train traffic online to standing only feet away as a train whooshes past him or her.Websites www.railstream.net and www.virtualrailfan.com in recent years have placed cameras at the local rail park."Virtual Railfan and Railstream have been great advertising because people watch the trains here," Gatrell said. "I use the analogy that going to an Ohio State football game is different than watching it on TV. You know what it's like, but to be right there, it's totally different when you're watching than trains than sitting on your couch, watching them go through."The physical layout on the school campus will have admission check-ins at both buildings, with one-time admission being charged. Model railroads will be set up in the elementary school gym, while more than 70 vendors occupying more than 220 tables will be found throughout the junior/senior high school. Those attending may walk between the buildings or hitch rides on golf carts or the former Romick Railway, now owned by Gottfried Entertainment of Upper Sandusky, which is a trackless train.Food may be purchased in the Fostoria Junior/Senior High School cafeteria, where, Gatrell said, the school district food-service staff annually finds business to be good."They love having us come," she said. "And they love talking to the people, too. They do quite well. They sell a lot of chicken fingers, I can tell you that. They have a nice menu. It works out well."As many as 40 much-needed volunteers help the festival run smoothly, Gatrell said, ranging from students in search of required service hours to active or former teachers who also need to notch service hours as members of sorority Alpha Delta Kappa."They enjoy talking to people, too, to know where they're from," Gatrell said. "... I appreciate them because we need to have volunteers everywhere."More information about the festival is available by calling Gatrell at 419-435-1781 or by emailing to ellengatrell@gmail.com.