The beautifully renovated Jamestown Gateway Train Station has gained momentum as an attraction for local residents and tourists. Three National Train Day celebrations have drawn large, enthusiastic crowds, along with a plethora of other events held regularly at the facility.

Although much excitement has surrounded the incoming National Comedy Center, some train aficionados and fans of Jamestown’s history have grown concerned. Saturday’s Lucille Ball Comedy Festival schedule includes a groundbreaking for the comedy center, part of which will occupy the wings of the former Erie-Lackawanna Train Station.

However, the comedy center may not bring Jamestown’s train-related momentum to a halt as some have feared.

Lee Harkness, outgoing Gateway Train Station general manager, has worked alongside Vince DeJoy, city development director, and Tom Benson, comedy center chairman, in hopes of having excursion trains travel from Jamestown to Buffalo and other Southern Tier locations.

City officials will apply for a 50/50 matching grant from the state to conduct a passenger train feasibility study. Through the state’s Regional Economic Development Council, the grant would help the city hire a consultant to analyze the economic impact of excursion trains in the city and form a plan for the engine house located near the station. The house could become a railroad museum, officials said.

Jamestown’s leaders have created some recent momentum with the comedy center, but that shouldn’t mean the end of the city’s life as a destination for train fans. Comedy and trains can work together to make a more attractive city.