Brunswick Railroad Days celebrates 25 years

Gazing at a model railroad display in a storefront off Potomac Street on Saturday as he nursed his morning cup of coffee, Donald Painter recalled 46 years spent living and working near Brunswick and the importance of the railroad for him and his wife.

Painter worked 10 to 12 hour days as an electrician and plumber for decades before his retirement.

"My life was a beeper and telephone," he said.

He didn't have time for much of a life outside of work. One day, after clocking out at dusk, he was walking home and noticed the blaring light from a train engine heading his direction.

The sight made him stop for a moment and notice something his fast-paced life had driven into the shadows: the beauty and power of a locomotive rolling by.

"It was sad in a way, enjoyable in another to see that train coming down the tracks," Painter said.

Now that he and his wife are getting on in years and have stricter limits on the money they can spend, Painter said Brunswick's Railroad Days festival is an event they look forward to as a sort of vacation.

Painter was among thousands of railroad enthusiasts, politicians and residents who gathered for the 25th annual Railroad Days.

Carrie Myers, a volunteer working at the event, said train rides between Brunswick and Frederick, festival food, crafts vendors and musical entertainment were highlights this year.

"It's a great way to celebrate our heritage," she said.

David McIntosh, a volunteer guide at the Brunswick Railroad Museum, said the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, along with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, came to the area in 1832.

McIntosh said the displays at the museum show the symbiotic relationship between the canal and the railroad, and how they were important in bringing prosperity to the nation, from the industrial revolution to the end of World War II.

A student of local history for decades, McIntosh said he enjoys meeting visitors during Railroad Days.

"I learn more from talking to people and telling the story of this place than reading any books," he said.

Wayne Allgaier and his wife, Vicki, dressed themselves in historic garb to portray Levin West and his wife, Elizabeth.

West was a family physician who worked for the railroad about 100 years ago, Allgaier said. The character seemed apt for Allgaier, a family physician who moved to Brunswick in 1974 so he could make housecalls, as doctors did so many years ago.

Craig Wright, a Brunswick resident for nine years, operated a woodworking booth along Potomac Street. He chipped away at a block of cherry he will eventually fashion into a spoon, like the handful he had for sale.

He said Railroad Days is always a good time. The smell of barbecue fires nearby had him looking forward to lunch.

"It's a good thing to take people's minds off the economy and other bad things happening and just have a good time," Wright said.

Copyright 2008 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.