SKOL Team Celebrates Rick Hensley

Rick Hensley spent the last 35 years on short line railroads. His career took a few turns, but he finished it where it all started, in Pittsburg, Kansas. The local team showed him their appreciation at his retirement party on May 31.

Hensley began his railroad career in 1989, repairing track for South East Kansas Railroad, which later became part of the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL). He later moved over to operations as a conductor, and then engineer. Hensley spent several years in the 1990s at another local short line but returned to the SKOL in 2000 where he remained until retirement. During his time, Hensley repaired, switched, and operated on nearly every mile of the SKOL.

“Railroading was always interesting to me,” Hensley said. “I felt like we were doing something important, but it’ll be nice to be doing anything other than riding a hot train in the summer.”

Trainmaster Dustin Coester says Hensley will be missed for many reasons.

“Rick’s a great guy,” Coester said. “He’s very knowledgeable about railroading, but more importantly, he’s always willing to help. Whether it was stepping up to run the Christmas trains for the local kids or working with newer team members, we knew we could count on Rick. He’s just a likeable guy to be around.”

Hensley doesn’t have any big plans for retirement yet. Fishing with his grandkids is currently top of the list. He’s also been a passionate fan of the Kansas City Chiefs for decades. The SKOL team hosted a retirement party for Hensley on May 31. After lunch and cake with many of the friends he made over the years, they presented him with tickets for a game day experience during the Chiefs’ 2024 season.