Volunteers continue work on potential tourist draw

The Heritage Museum in Libby is still taking donations toward the restoration of the 1906 Shay locomotive “Ole Four Spot,” and volunteer Don Smart said that his goal is to have it operational by next spring.

Smart said that it is likely it will take another year past that goal to have the engine running, but next spring is still the goal.

It’s also possible volunteers could start as soon as this summer installing track that would loop a mile back into the Kootenai Business Park.

Smart said the intent of the restoration is to be able to give rides to passengers.

The museum received a grant earlier this year for $26,704 from the Department of Tourism. A press release from the museum states that the overall project cost is projected to be $40,057, and the community will need to raise $13,353 in matching funds to make plans for the train a reality.

Local business owner Paul Bunn donated just over $1,000 to the effort April 18. He said the money is part of the Kootenai Country Montana Foundation donations that are made every month.

Each month, 10 percent of the proceeds from dinners served at the Venture Inn goes into the foundation, and that money is given to a worthy cause in the community, Bunn said.

Bunn said he wanted to give money to the train restoration because he has experience with the impact something like the Shay locomotive can have on tourism.

When Bunn owned a hotel in Lewistown, Montana, he started the Charlie Russell Chew Choo, a train attraction that takes passengers on a dinner adventure. According to the attraction’s website, the train now travels 56 miles of track.

Bunn said the train attraction used former active railroad tracks and served a prime rib dinner, and later added special events such as a Christmas train.

“It was very successful, and we ran it all summer long,” he said. After about five years, he turned it over to the Lewistown Chamber of Commerce, which uses the train to finance itself.

“It’s something special, a train,” Bunn said. “Anywhere you put it, a train is going to have business.”

The Shay could be a great tourist attraction, he said.

“If we get that thing done and park it alongside the highway, we’ll stop almost every tourist car going through this town.” he said. “Especially if there’s kids.”

The grant application process required that the project include niche product development of interest to nonresident visitors, as identified in “Montana Destination Brand Research,” according to the Heritage Museum press release.

A 2016 visitor survey conducted as part of that research found that “history buffs” (over one-third of the overall respondents) are clearly a high-value audience that fits Montana perfectly, according to the release. The visitor survey also found that respondents rated “Historic attractions” as an “Extremely important” attribute in selecting travel destinations, and the represent a large and lucrative niche segment.

The release states that the Heritage Museum members believe both railroad and history buffs from around the world will want to see the restored locomotive because it is believed to be the last remaining workable locomotive of its class in Montana.

The preservation and restoration of the Shay adds a key artifact of local logging culture and strengthens a destination asset for the Libby community for rail, cultural and heritage tourism, according to the release.

Donation forms -- as well as museum membership forms -- can be found online at www.libbyheritagemuseum.com. Completed forms can be dropped off at the Libby Chamber of Commerce, 905 W 9th Street; or mailed to: The Heritage Museum, P.O. Box 628, Libby, MT 59923.

The Heritage Museum will open on Monday, May 13, and remain open seven days a week through Saturday, Sept. 14. The annual Opening Day Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.