The Ghost Train Brings Public Art and History Together

 
Tim Davis of Portland Oregon alerted Price Tags to this extraordinary public art work in Shorewood Wisconsin-“The Ghost Train” designed by Marty Peck of Creative Lighting Design & Engineering, an architectural lighting specialist. Using lighting and sound, Peck has created “the allusion of a Ghost Train crossing the bridge twice each evening to recall the schedule, speed and drama of the passing of  the historic 400 train.  At other times the bridge will have a subtler artistic illumination.  Both the Ghost Train and bridge lighting will be a permanent installation.”

From the official website for the Village of Shorewood, this public art installation enables “visitors to travel back in history, imagining the round-trip journey of the ‘Twin Cities 400’ which was operated by the Chicago & North Western Railway and crossed that same location from 1935-1963.  Touted as the fastest passenger train in the world, the Chicago & North Western Railway’s ‘400’ routinely covered the 400 miles between Chicago and St. Paul, MN in just under 400 minutes – including its travel through Shorewood along the route of today’s Oak Leaf Trail.  “
This installation was a partnership between Shorewood’s Public Art Committee and the Shorewood Historical Society. Since the project commenced in November 2016, 100 to 150 people a night come to watch the train’s “performance”. A detailed story about the installation written by  Marty Peck is available here in “The Ghost Train – Revealed.“

There is a Ghost Train Committee and a schedule of “Ghost Train Departing Times”, with the train going north and south on the tracks mimicking the actual speed  and sound. There is an excellent short video on the official website, and here is a short clip from YouTube showing the opening night party and the train action starting at the 56 second mark.