Benny Westcott
Sunday evening’s Santiam Excursion Train ride on the Albany and Eastern Railroad wasn’t just an everyday roll down the tracks. This one was packed with heroes.
Local teachers, first responders and past and present military personnel milled about as the engine rumbled alongside Route 20 from Lebanon to T2 Inc. in Sweet Home and back during a two-hour trip.
Lebanon’s Eriksen/Irwin Country Financial insurance agency sponsored the ride as part of the overall company’s “Operation Helping Heroes” program, which allots money every year to its Lebanon branch to give back to the community.
The 250 free tickets advertised in various Facebook groups were snatched up within a day, according to insurance agent and Sweet Home resident Jamie Eriksen. Tickets for such a ride would normally cost $27 per individual.
“We thought it would be a fantastic idea,” she said. “A lot of people want to go but can’t financially afford it. We got feedback from people who picked up tickets, and they were saying, ‘You have no idea how much this means to us.”
Eriksen said one couple used the event as a date night to celebrate their anniversary, while the wife of a former military member who lost his life in battle took the train ride “on his behalf.”
Brigham Baird and his family, which includes seven children and an exchange student, came all the way from Estacada. His wife Tyra learned about the event through Facebook.
“The kids went on a train ride out in Bend last year while I was gone,” said Brigham, who serves in the National Guard. “They enjoyed that, so they wanted to do it again. This is really cool. We have a huge family, so we wouldn’t have been able to afford this otherwise.”
“This is really fun,” said Lebanon resident Ed Bellew, who served in the Navy’s Construction Battalions, also known as the Seabees, during the 1980s, “I’m really excited I got to ride the train. I was hoping for the steam engine, but this is still great.”
He was accompanied by soon-to-be son in law Matt Madison, a Lebanon-based wildland firefighter.
“This is awesome,” said Randy Ringheimer, a 26-year volunteer first-responder at the Lebanon Fire District.
His friend Randy McDaniel echoed his sentiment as he sat across the table. McDaniel, a disabled veteran who lives in Brownsville, served in the 1991 Gulf War.
Passengers on the evening ride took pictures with Santa, sipped on hot chocolate, ate popcorn and gazed out windows. Some braved the chilly wind to stand and wave at passersby on an open-air train car.
“I feel that Santiam Excursion Trains is a huge asset for the community,” Eriksen said. “I think that it’s huge that we were able to do this, for so many different reasons.”
See more photos in our online gallery.