[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
People of all ages crowded around a tabletop setup. Children leaned into the ropes that kept them at a safe distance from the table while the taller onlookers peered over the children’s heads.
It was a miniature village, complete with tiny houses with lit windows, cars parked on the street, and plastic trees surrounding the buildings. It was as if someone had taken a shrink-ray to a part of Wellesley and placed the scene inside of the Wellesley Community Center.
With two different generations equally interested in the model train display, the Great Wellesley Train Show proved the timelessness of model railways.
One of the displays included a beautifully constructed castle with perfectly manicured landscaping, showing that model railways showcase more than just the train and rails.
But then something started moving.
The children gasped. They leaned over the rope, the tips of their noses just barely an inch away from the table, to watch a model train pass by the village on a set of tracks. The children cheered as the train moved on, holding the rope barrier as they followed the engine’s journey around the setup.
In several of the other rooms of the Wellesley Community Center, where the Great Wellesley Train Show took place on November 4, the same scenes were transpiring.
A fascination with trains is not solely confined to toddlers watching “Thomas & Friends,” but for many enthusiasts, that’s where it starts. Beginning with an interest in trains since their youth, many of the Train Show’s presenters and volunteers have evolved from childhood enthusiasts into train experts who are able to design and build an entire scene on a micro scale.
“Trains are a lot more than trains,” said Kent Larsen of the MetroWest Model Railroading Society. “They’re civil engineering, history, carpentry, electronics, photography, landscaping … They’re just everything, and it’s a very encompassing hobby.”
Several model train groups, like the Amherst Railway Society, the Hub Division, and the Old Colony Model Railroad Club, came out to show the community their art and skills. Setups downstairs included a 1:87 scale model of the “Bergli-Bahnli,” a piece of the Graubünden Swiss mountain railway, and a station to play Railworks: Train Simulator 2015.
The Great Wellesley Train Show provided parents and children with budding train interests to see how amazing the hobby is.
“There’s a lot to learn in the hobby and I think that’s one of the reasons why it has lasted so long. It’s something that’s really interesting and fun to do,” said Kent.
While many of the various railway club members have been involved in the hobby for well over 60 years, the countless children and young adults marveling at the displays proved that model railways are simply timeless; they bring joy to those in every generation.
