Trains have passed: Newcomers are opening a new store in Fort Madison | The Hawk Eye – Burlington, Iowa – Mississippi Valley Publishing

Fort Madison – We have a new couple and a new store in Fort Madison.

What brought them here? For those who grew up in Fort Madison, this is something we take for granted. For those who have found Fort Madison through the railway landing – this is their soft: the railway line!

Greg Krueger was born with interest in railways. As a child, he liked to watch trains. He would look at one and then wait until the next one. When he was more adult, he was hanging out with railway people. While other boys of his age are chasing girls, he pursued old dirty rail men. He couldn’t get enough of their stories. “To this day, nothing fills me like trains,” he said.

He has collected many memorials, spikes, matches for matches, schedules, train orders on onion leather. Much of his collection he struck as they entered the garbage. He has the book about the 1967 operation code. He said he has “everything but the desk.”

“It’s in my blood,” he said. Greg’s father was a CB & Q truck. His paternal grandmother works for the North Pacific. He was so close to his friend Chris’s family that Dad (and Mom Di) became his “adopted” parents. And, you knew, he works for the North Pacific, and then later for Burlington North.

You would think that Greg’s dream would be to follow in their footsteps and find his place on the railway line. But, surprisingly, he thought it would be a terrible job – he’s always on the way, he’s never with the family. So Greg chose to visit college instead.

It was the right choice because there he found Barbara, the love of his life, which lived in the neighborhood with the campus. I asked Barbara what attracted them together – if you develop a love for the railway line or just go with her. Looking at her husband at 43, she just said yes. Although he then added that her mother is a teacher, so they will go to her grandmother every summer who lived near the track. She also grew up, enjoying watching the trains that go back -back every day.

After they got married, Greg and Barbara lived in the neighborhood of their grandmother – or more importantly – adjacent to the railway tracks. Their family trips will be “Let’s go to watch trains.” From their two daughters, one does not share the family’s interest in trains, and the other does it. While many of us remember that they were trying to get their children into their car seats, baby Emma will just quietly watch the trains pass, making the daily task so easier.

Emma can now see the train tracks from her office and often sends questions and photos to mom and dad. “What is it? What is it? “

Although Barbara shares Greg’s passion for trains (winking), her main interest is quatizing. She once saw a quilt in a store that had 259 squares and each square was 2.5 inches. She said she would never do it. Well, never say, never, because now she has finished her own 259 square meter of 2.5 inches.

Trying to combine the two, she begins to train thematically. Shortly after moving to Fort Madison, she and Greg went to Navo, where they met with another Quilter, Linda, “which is now my new best friend.” As Joanna’s fabric in Burlington leaves the business, Linda’s quilts store, Emporium Quilts & More, will now be its place.

Asked what attracted them to move to Fort Madison, they immediately answered: Chi Truth (currently director of Fort Madison’s Tourism) and the writer, whom they met at the Schiffer Penn Museum on their first visit. Most importantly, they said that it was the friendliness and acceptance of all who came across during their first visits.

Due to their enjoyment of Railcam, they arrived at Fort Madison through Ambrace for the first time in April 2022 to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Staying at Kingsley Inn, they asked specifically about a room facing the railway line. True, then the manager in Kingsley, offered them a river room, but was considered a rail room for Krugers. They liked the feeling of this historic city on the river. “We have traveled 17 miles in the eight -block radius, looking at the area of ​​the center and the historic houses.”

They returned a second time on the day of Labor 2022 and then again on the day of memory 2023. This trip remained at Kumar WickramASingha’s Air BNB, who was said to have a lot of influence in his serious conversation about Fort Madison’s movement S Their fourth journey for river and rail days in September 2023 was spent in conversations with business owners, persons at the museums of Santa Fe and CB & Q and other random persons. “We asked everyone how they felt a local train shop.” Everyone was excitedly told them that this was a great idea. Most people they talked to worked for the railway line or were connected to the railway line. “With all the reviews and answers – everything so positive and supportive – and the friendliness of all we met at Fort Madison, we said, ‘Yes, let’s do it! “, They met Barb Asai, who showed them all around Fort Madison, telling them who owns which buildings.

Then Greg and Barbara began to withdraw from their work, put their house on the market and say goodbye to longtime friends. Their last visit was June 2024. Then they signed a lease for their first local home in the apartments of Lee County. From the window of their apartment, they saw only a little of the depot and the river. They were not there for a very long time when an apartment became accessible in the same building with many windows facing the landfill and the river. They told the building manager: “I know we have just moved, but we already want to move. We want to stay in this building – only to the apartment with all the windows. “Greg said the new apartment is worth more, but it’s worth it. Sleep Apartment He has a specific train to monitor a train. , they ask him, “Deliberately?” He says it’s invaluable to him.

They found the perfect showcase (of course it is close to the rail tracks) of 1006 Avenue H and will open their business “trains that disappeared” on January 31st. According to Barbara, it said it would also be a quilt shop, but Barbara continued to adjust it. But now, since there is so much space, she has decided to set tables in the back third of the building to work on her own quilts. Although she would definitely not sell quilts for quilts, she met with several people who were excited and said they would be happy to join her. So she will start a guild for a quilt (not a shop).

Greg is excited to open the store and said, although he will still be glad to listen to talk about the scanner’s railway lines, he will no longer have to watch the rail camera.

“Now I have the front row view. I’ll see the real thing. “Barbara is also excited to regain the kitchen. She said Greg commands the island in the kitchen where he put his 13 feet of train. But after January 31 With a baby train placed on it to enjoy while mom and dad shop.

This writer looked first at the beginning of the new store. When a person enters, they are greeted by a beautiful quilt created by Grandma Dee. On the other hand, there is a beautiful wall display on many trains gathered over the years.

For us, sheffer lovers have redesigned the Sheffer pen display, while Jigsaw enthusiasts can see the show (on trains surgery.