Cathy Dobson
The fifth annual Model Train Day at Moore Museum is on track to draw its biggest crowd yet on July 14.
Whether it’s the painstaking attention to minute detail or a thirst for local railway history, there’s a growing number of people fascinated by model trains, says museum curator Laurie Mason.
The model train room, which opened six years ago, has expanded about 25% with the relocation of a wall this year, she said.
New displays include a 1950s-style layout of Lionel O scale (1/4 inch for each foot), with two trains and a trolley, as well as a smaller N scale layout with two trains.
On Model Train Day the room is staffed by the group of volunteers who built and maintain the models year round. Twelve trains of various scales will be operating inside the room and several guests are bringing additional layouts to be displayed in a trailer and elsewhere in the museum.
“Our Model Train Day is proving very popular,” said Mason. “Last year, we had 150 to 200 people come out.”
Model train layouts include railway stations, villages, landscaping and tracks.
Sarnia’s Don Eastman has 50 years of experience building model trains and their accessories, and was asked by the museum to construct a replica of the Courtright train station, where the Michigan Central railway brought freight and passengers from St. Thomas.
The line was built in 1873 with the intention that a ferry would transport freight and passengers across the St. Clair River, and then send them on their way to Chicago.
Though a dock was built in Courtright the railway company failed before ferry service was established.
That kind of history, the beauty of the old stations, and the thrill of operating scale models are all a part of Model Train Day.
Eastman is certified as a Master Model Railroader – one of only 500 in North America - and has both donated and sold items for the room.
He has constructed 12 new buildings that are now on display.
However, it’s volunteer Tom Walter of Petrolia who is the driving force behind the exhibit, Eastman said.
“There will be lots to look at,” Walter said. “There’s a vast scope to this hobby with the scratch buildings, the track work, electrical wiring, photography and, of course, the history.”
Walter published a book on the history of the Petrolia spur in 2016 and is currently researching more Lambton County rail history for a second book.
This year, Model Train Day will have three radio-controlled locomotives with sound effects that the public can operate.
Volunteers will be happy to discuss all aspects of their models, Walter said.
Children’s craft activities will be ongoing during the afternoon and the other 12 buildings on the museum’s site will be open.
That includes the Mooretown Railway Station built in 1893 just a few years after the rail line went in. There’s also a caboose on site that dates back to 1914.
“All of St. Clair Township is strong on rail history,” said Mason. “Many villages including Brigden and Courtright grew because of the railway.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: 2019 Model Train Day
WHEN: Sunday, July 14 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
WHERE: Moore Museum, 94 Mooreline in Mooretown
TICKETS: $6 adults; $3 children.