Model train show draws many kids at heart

BREWER – The Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club’s model train show and sale Saturday showed that the hobby is a favorite of both the young and the young at heart.

A bumper sticker on one of the cars in the parking lot perhaps summed it up best: “Play with trains – Being grown up is highly overrated.”

According to organizers, this year’s annual model railroad event – the 27th so far- drew more than 500 small-scale rail enthusiasts. It also marked National Model Railroad Month.

While many children and families came to the show, the vast majority of the visitors were adults.

“Most of us grew up when trains were a part of everyday life,” said Steve Tucker, the East Orland-based club’s president. “You don’t see them as much today. They mostly come out at night.”

Railroad enthusiasts browsed among booths set up by vendors and dealers from throughout New England during the show, which took place at Jeff’s Catering. They also got a chance to check out working model railroad displays, including a modular layout built by members of the host club.

The layout consisted of more than a dozen 4-foot-long sections that, when bolted together, formed a large oval course. Each section offered a different landscape, complete with miniature buildings, trees and vehicles, as well as painted background scenery such as rolling hills, blue skies and billowy white clouds.

Visitors also could schedule an appointment with the “Train Doctor,” also known as William Soule of Orono.

Soule on Saturday looked as if he had stepped off a train, wearing the blue-and-white-striped engineer’s hat and coveralls once traditionally worn by train engineers. People who were proposing to buy used train sets could take them to Soule’s booth to be tested to ensure they were in working order. Soule also provided on-the-spot repairs.

While Soule acknowledged the show served as a fund-raiser for the club, he said it also served as a valuable education and awareness tool.

“It helps to interest a whole new generation,” the train doctor said.

Model railroading has existed almost as long as railroads have. The first model trains were sold as children’s toys. Over the years, the miniature engines and cars have evolved from pull toys to windup versions to electric ones.

The hobby now is entering the digital age, which club members said allows operators to run multiple trains – running at different speeds and directions – on the same system of tracks.

For most rail fans, as aficionados call themselves, the fascination with trains starts during childhood.

John Ferriday of Sedgwick, a retired school administrator, is one of the exceptions. He took up the hobby about four years ago when he bought a model train set for his grandson.

“Model railroaders have got to come out of the closet,” Ferriday said Saturday. “They just don’t talk about it much.

“This is one of the most broadening activities that you can get into.”