Those looking for proof of Jamestown’s love of trains don’t know Lee Harkness.

The man who served as Jamestown Gateway Train Station general manager from the facility’s reopening until the National Comedy Center took over operations this year continues to keep the area’s train momentum on track. With the comedy center leasing the station, Harkness lost his job and could’ve easily let the city’s passion for trains slowly fade into history.

Instead, the city celebrates National Train Day once again next month and has partnered with Dunkirk for the Chautauqua County Railroad History Weekend May 14-15. Activities will take place at the station and the nearby Jamestown Engine Barn – Harkness’ new project – May 14 before festivities move to Dunkirk to conclude the weekend.

The Jamestown Engine Barn Committee hopes to renovate the facility and turn it into the Jamestown Rail Museum. Harkness and the other volunteers have discussed how they want the building to look, and how it will fit in with the railroad and the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk. Committee members want to restore the tracks from the barn to McCrea Point Park for use by the nearly finished Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93. The committee has established a fund for the Jamestown Engine Barn restoration at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

“It is important we continue the work we started on the train station,” Harkness told The Post-Journal. “People actually come here to see the building and are surprised by how spectacular of a building we have.”

While the incoming National Comedy Center will certainly draw plenty of visitors, the regional love for trains remains strong and should be a tourism focus area for city leaders. We wish Harkness and the Jamestown Engine Barn Committee well and hope the city remains a notable stop for train enthusiasts for many years to come.