Trent Adams (front left) and a crew of volunteers painted the old train at the Pioche town park July 19.
Local teenager Trent Adams took his love for locomotives to a larger scale July 19. Adams, a Scout who needed an Eagle project to finish up the program, combined his fascination for trains with an idea to help brighten up Pioche and preserve local history by painting the old train at the town park. The last time the train was repainted was over 10 years ago by the Honor Camp in Pioche.
Adams said, “I’ve always had a passion for trains. I have a whole bunch of model trains and it’s always just been an interest of mine. I thought it would be cool to do it.”
Adams took his project to the Eagle Scout board and the Pioche Town Board to get approval. The town board didn’t just approve the project; it paid for all the paint. Adam’s grandfather, Ken Adams, paid for most of the brushes and rollers.
Ken Adams said, “This has turned into a lot bigger project than we thought it would. I’ve worked on a lot of Eagle Scout projects and this has been the longest, hardest one I’ve ever helped with. Although, we are really, really thankful for all the help we are getting.”
The project was so difficult because of how much there was to paint. The train is a large locomotive. Ken Adams recruited a professional painter and his son to help with the detailed lettering.
Scout leader Pete Gill said, “I think it’s an awesome project and I’m honored to be helping with it.”
Leif Poulsen’s Eagle project is next. He will be enhancing the park with new benches.
Trent Adams said, “We got pretty much everything paid for and the history is so interesting. Some people might think of this as a waste of money, but it’s really not. It’s keeping a piece of history in good shape.”
