Andrew Ossler grew up visiting one of North America’s largest railroad museums, located just a short drive from his home. That helped cultivate a passion for railroading in the now 26-year-old, who has since joined the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill., as a key volunteer. A teacher by day, Ossler spends his spare time serving on multiple committees at the museum, and is an officer and crew caller for the Operations Department. However, he remains most active in the Steam Department, where he began as a volunteer and continues to work on the maintenance and operation of the steam locomotive fleet.
How did you get involved in rail preservation?
Andrew Ossler: I’ve always been a visitor to the Illinois Railway Museum as a kid. I knew that I wanted to get involved, and being 15 minutes away, it was a no-brainer. Along the way, I also had volunteers who I got to know as a kid and encouraged me to get involved.
It was literally the day after I turned 18, I went in and signed my life away, as we all like to say. So, I got involved at the museum back in July 2017. I started in the steam department, and since then, grown from there.
As a young preservationist, what have you found to be the most challenging aspects in the industry?
Andrew Ossler: The most challenging aspect I would say is getting people involved, but helping them realize their potential and positive impact they’re going to make on an organization. Sometimes, people aren’t given enough opportunity to blossom. I think they’re selling themselves short at that point. One thing for me in rail preservation is that it’s all about the people you’re volunteering and working with for the same common goal. It should be about getting them involved and staying involved.
We’ve been fortunate at IRM as we got a core group of guys that are in the 18-35 age range. We’re all good friends, and there are nights that we’ll hang out at the museum to cook a meal together, or go out to dinner. That’s really what brings us together.
What’s been the most rewarding for you so far?
Andrew Ossler: I’ve been volunteering at IRM for eight years now and starting to see some of the rewards. The biggest one has been the opportunity to work with some great people and learn from them. I’ve had several mentors along the way and still keep in touch with them. That’s been really rewarding for me because I was brought up at IRM and taught everything I know out there.
That’s now taking shape into other opportunities of getting involved with projects, working on engine crew, and stemming towards leadership. I’m starting to play a part in that for someone else’s journey of getting involved in rail preservation and passing down knowledge to them.
Where do you see rail preservation as it is today and what do you hope it’ll become for the future?
Andrew Ossler: There’s a shift nowadays to where, at least out at IRM, I’ve seen a good core group of young volunteers that are starting to come into rail preservation and stay with it. I hope that the youth movement, as I call it, continues. Without them, there’s really no one that’s going to otherwise keep rail preservation going.
What advice would you give for any young person looking to get involved in the industry?
Andrew Ossler: I would say find a way to get involved. Reach out to an organization that you’ve set your heart on or heard about, and see how you can be involved. If the organization is committed to you, they’ll bring you along and work with you. But you have to use your voice. Once you get involved, ask questions and find people there who are mentor figures. That was critical for me.
Finally, you’re always learning when working or operating a piece of equipment. Every time I step foot in the shop or on the locomotive, I walk away learning something new. You need to have that growth mindset when you’re volunteering because while we weren’t alive back when the equipment was operating regularly, we need to be able to retell their stories.
