Lievaart said they were recognized for their safety record since they opened. “It’s been almost 10 years of doing anything from a few hundred railcars a year to upwards of a thousand (cars) and over, and we’re quite proud that we have some really good people,” said Lievaart. Staff members include locomotive engineer Lincoln Wanner, conductor Maggie Ward, track specialist Bud Rosiak and office administrator Tara Struthers. Three are full-time and one is part-time. Long Creek Railroad has under 50 shareholders. “Maintaining an almost perfect track is key,” he said. “That basically comes with just maintenance. Just simple things like repairing or replacing joint bars. A 33-foot chunk of rail, if it’s got a problem, they’ll replace that rail.”