Students from Revelstoke’s local schools and community organizations toured the Revelstoke Railway Museum’s (RRM) latest exhibit, Safety Along the Rails, learning about the ins and outs of railway safety at a Safety Along the Rails event.
Highlighting Operation Life Saver’s Look, Listen, Live program, chatting different safety scenarios residents might find along the railway tracks throughout town and touring some of the rail pieces in the museum’s yard, museum staff pulled from various resources to connect with students of all ages.
“A lot of them are kids who have grown up really aware of the train presence in town,” Victoria Hill, RRM executive director told Revelstoke Mountaineer. “Being an area where trains are so common that complacency can become common.”
Students ranged from Grade 1 to Grade 4, and across the board Hill was impressed with the knowledge students showed when asked how to stay safe. Some students even shared stories of train accidents they’d heard from parents and caregivers, highlighting how train safety knowledge can start right at home.
“We talked a lot about being aware of what safety measures are already in place,” Hill said, adding that students touring the yard got multiple chances to watch safety measures in action at the rail crossing to the museum.
Another safety point RRM staff stressed was not crossing over or under trains stopped at crossings for extended times.
“We’ve had people show up at the museum, they tell us they crawled over the train to get to us. And we just stressed today you never know when a train is going to start moving.”
For students who weren’t able to attend the Safety Along the Rails event or for caregivers who want to learn more and help keep the topic going at home, Hill invites the community to check out the newly opened Safety Along the Rails exhibit and resources on the Operation Life Saver’s website, where age-appropriate materials from Kindergarten to High School can be downloaded for classroom or home use. The exhibit also contains activity sheets, pamphlets and more with safety information, but the museum has worked overtime to keep things stocked.
“It’s a good sign that it’s empty [frequently], it means people are using those materials,” Hill said.
More rail safety events are in the future for RRM, which is planning to host events for Rail Safety Week Monday, September 15 to Sunday, September 21. Follow RRM on socials for more information when it comes available.
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