32 SOURCE | Spring 2022
Trains – Big , Small , and Everything In-Between
Mary Auth , Contributing Writer
The cost of moving GROWMARK products around North America varies almost as much as the choices . There are big trucks , there are medium trucks , there are barges , and there are trains . For GROWMARK , trains represent a cost-efficient way of moving product , whether it is grain or fuel or seed . And why not ? Moving grain by train can be almost one-third the cost of shipping by truck .
Besides railroads being a key part of GROWMARK ’ s commerce , they are also a passion for several people within the GROWMARK System .
Trains have fascinated Mark Lewis for more than 30 years . For his day job , Lewis is a Certified Crop Specialist for M & M Service Company in Litchfield , Illinois . In the evenings and twice a month , Lewis is a model train enthusiast . He is part of a group of ten other train enthusiasts who have an elaborate setup in the back office of a building in downtown Litchfield .
As Lewis explains it , there are different interests in model railroading . There ’ s the modeler – a person who likes to replicate the historical look of train cars and locomotives with logos and colors . That person is typically also the one who builds everything from simple to elaborate setups that mimic the life-size versions of railroads , with scale buildings and geographical features like tunnels and grain elevators . Another type of model railroad enthusiast is the collector of models – those who keep the locomotive and rail cars on display .
The other type of enthusiast is Lewis ’ type . He ’ s an operator who likes to orchestrate movement around the track layout . In modern terms , it also means he has a keen interest in electronics , which is how the tracks are electrified today . The switches are controlled through circuitry hidden in a box alongside the layout . Relay switches are handheld devices that plug into the layout baseboard . Electronic chips embedded in the model cars can be programmed to simulate sounds , lighting , and more .
Railroad hobbyists are also interested in the history and concentrate on one or just a few eras . Mark ’ s model interest is in the 1990-95 Santa Fe railroad . His locomotive and rail cars are the color and design of those trains .
Lewis does not limit his hobby to a model layout . He actively promotes the hobby . Despite a few COVID-related venue cancellations , Lewis is helping to plan the Gateway 2022 for the National Model Railroad Association ( NMRA ) Convention , being held in St . Louis in August .
While Lewis concentrates on the model trains , Daniel Frye is active with the full-size versions of locomotives and train cars . Frye is a Transportation Coordinator for GROWMARK working out of the Bloomington , Illinois home office . And while transportation is in his title , Frye currently just works the truck side – connecting drivers and trucks with petroleum delivery needs .
Frye is actively involved in the Monticello ( Illinois ) Railway Museum . Since he was a youngster , he held a fascination with trains , beginning with Thomas the Tank Engine and model trains and continuing up to the EMD NW2 Milwaukee Road 1000 horsepower yard locomotive . Frye is also engaged with the museum as one of ten board members , who lead the 300 active volunteers and museum membership .
As part of his volunteer activities , Frye has become certified as an engineer ( he operates the locomotives ), as a conductor / flagman ( he inspects the train and keeps passengers safe while the train is moving ), as a student fireman ( he feeds the steam engine with fuel ), and as a
Monticello museum station