Speaker Series
Intro to Railroads

Kendrick Bisset

An introduction to Railroads with emphasis on Illinois and Madison County will be the topic for the MCHS Speaker Series on April 12, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Main Street Community Center at 1003 N. Main Street in Edwardsville.

The presenter, Kendrick Bisset, will talk about the rise of railroads, technology, and the impact of railroads on transportationl. Bissett has a long association with railroads. He interned for the Milwaukee Road and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) while in college, and after graduation found permanent employment with the CTA as a signal engineer. His entire 44-year professional career has been in railroad signaling system design.

Bisset is also a life-long fan of model railroading and has been involved with several railroad museums, including the Fox River Trolley museum in South Elgin, Illinois; the East Stroudsburg Railroad Tower Society in Pennsylvania; and currently the Friends of the East Broad Top Railroad, also in Pennsylvania.

Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. In addition to the program, there will be a small book sale that includes books on railroading in the room outside the lecture hall. The Speaker Series is presented by the Madison County Historical Society, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The Society operates the Madison County Archival Library at 801 N. Main Street in Edwardsville. Hours are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, and Sunday 1-4 p.m. For further information, call 618-656-7569.