Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Thorsen Bond.
Hi Linda Thorsen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Voyage
By Linda Thorsen Bond
The Rev. Chris Roque is what you call a foamer. And he’s not alone.
When Roque (Ro-key) hears a train coming down the tracks, he rushes out of the Railway Museum to see it. Then he stands by the tracks and reverently watches the train blast through San Angelo. A glance along the platform reveals Roque is not alone; there are other people staring at the engines and figuratively foaming at the mouth as trains rattle the windows of the 115-year-old train depot.
Chris gets plenty of opportunities to see trains as president of the board of directors of the Railway Museum. In addition to that volunteer position, he is an Episcopal priest. And if that’s not enough, he’s a deputy sheriff with a specialty in hostage negotiation. He likes everything about his many jobs but he has loved trains since he was a child. In fact, when his grandfather heard Chris’ mother was going to have a son, he ordered a scale model train for the baby. Because nothing says appropriate toy for the cradle than a model train.
In his second year as president, Chris decided to tackle a problem at the museum. It had been over 30 years since the Railway Museum had sponsored a model train jamboree, and Chris said, “That’s just too long!” When he was growing up in New Braunfels, he had been involved with the revival of the historic train depot and very engaged with Train Days there. He based a lot of decisions on the success of New Braunfels.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not easy to re-animate a scale model club in San Angelo. A year in advance, Chris started to revive the train organization with a new name, South Orient Model Train Organization. He and other board members went to train jamborees around Texas where they passed out flyers and invited people to the fledgling Train Days in San Angelo.
They found a location for Train Days, not too big but not too small, in the Pearl on the Concho Hotel and Conference Center. Since model train vendors need to sell new and old equipment, railway accessories and memorabilia, the board members contacted area clubs and tried to get as much publicity as possible. It was a little hard to schedule preparations because sometimes during preliminary work Chris had a hostage negotiation or was called to officiate a funeral. The board agreed, there’s no planning for those eventualities.
To make registration more appealing, the Railway Museum offered an opening night dinner for vendors. Playwright Linda Thorsen Bond created a historical play with a dinner, a play and a tour of the museum. Sponsors and vendors responded with a complete sell-out for opening night and the play ran for two weeks.
Chris’ wife, Donna Linton, threatened to hold onto his credit card during the jamboree, but she relented in time for Chris to purchase some choices pieces himself.
When the steam had cleared, Chris announced that about 400 people had attended the jamboree, which was 400 percent more than the last 30 years! The biggest fear of the board was that the non-profit museum would lose money on the event, but all expenses were covered with a healthy amount raised for the museum.
Best yet, many train fans revealed themselves during the event. Chris is delighted to know there are so many other people who rush outside to watch trains rumble down the tracks. He’s already planning to get them involve with the Railway Museum’s Train Days next year.
His motto could be “Foamers unite! Train Days will come again!”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Chris is active as a volunteer with many activities that have to do with history. He is the chaplain at Fort McKavatt and was part of the 1876 Centennial celebration at the fort. He did a historical Holy Eucharist out of the 1789 liturgy and a historical sermon period accurate to July 1876.
Chris and Dr. Bond received great reviews for a four-hour workshop they led at the 2026 Texas Historical Commission annual state conference. They showed how to add drama and color to historical sites and events.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Bond, Linda Thorsen, “San Angelo and Arthur Stilwell’s Dream of Steam,” History Press, Charleston, SC (2023).
Bond, Linda Thorsen. “Saving the Oldest Town in Texas,” Stephen F. Austin State University Press, Nacogdoches, TX (2018).
Bond, Linda Thorsen, “San Angelo A to Z,” Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, TX (2020).
Pricing:
- Admission to the Railway Museum: $5 Adult, $4.50 Military and Seniors, $3 children 5-15, under 5 free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sanangelorailway.org
- Instagram: rrmuseumofsanangelo
- Facebook: Railway Museum of San Angelo
