Stuart, IA depot. Photo courtesy of Bob Cook.

An Iowa-based author and speaker will be returning to Stuart to talk with “railfans” and those wanting to learn more about trains.

The Stuart Chamber of Commerce is hosting Rudy Daniels to present on “Trains Across Iowa.” Daniels, a retired Assistant Dean and Department Chair of Railroad Operations Technology at Western Iowa Tech Community College, will describe the past, present, and future of Iowa’s railroads and talk about the state’s position in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad and its contribution to railroad safety.

Daniels gave a presentation in Stuart last fall about Orphan Trains, and besides talking about trains, he says he loves visiting small Iowa towns and getting to know each one’s flavor, “And I really enjoy sharing my railroad knowledge with people and actually bringing out their curiosity; bringing out their, let’s just say, thirst or developing their thirst in some cases for history, for the past of their own locality, as well as the state.”

This event is open to all ages, and Daniels will be dressed in a traditional train conductor’s uniform. “Trains Across Iowa” will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11th at the Rock Island Railroad Depot. This event is funded through Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities.