Burt Crismore

How did I get into trains and why?

I think it's fair to say that all of us who "play" with trains have had a facination with them since we began to walk and talk. While I by no means have years of experience modeling, I do remember growing up playing with the train sets bought at the local Toys R Us. I remember my uncle and I purchasing a big heavy piece of 4'x8' plywood and attemping to recreate a scene that would do that year's Christmas tree a little justice. I must have been 10 at the time, but I do remember laying down rolls of green grass and building unrealistic 20 degree inclines up and over a road. We had no idea what we were doing at the time, but it didn't matter—we were having fun.

As years past, I eventually gave up on trains; not because I lost interest, but more likely due to the fact that I was too young at the time to stay focused. I believe there are two extremes in this hobby: one where you play with toys, and the other where you build small worlds down to the finest details. It's always interesting telling friends that you play with trains because they really think you're getting out the old Tyco train set, but in reality we hobbiests are; painfully building things 100 times smaller than life; researching prototypical train facts tenaciously; buying a million different tools so the mountain side looks like a rock and not a pile of mud—the list goes on and on.

While I've only been into the hobby for about 2 years, I feel like I've come back in at just the right time. The model trains and structures are more detailed than ever, and the resources are just about limitless. Anyone who is a bit curious will be blown away by what can be done with today's standards in DCC technology; sound and lighting equipment; scenery, and just about anything else you can imagine. If you're in this hobby then you love the details. And I for one plan on sticking around for a while.

Currently, I model in HO scale and am working on a home layout built in theFree-mo style system. The benefit of building a home layout within a modular system is that I can freely move them about at home, but also take individual modules on the road to set up with other members. This way I get the added bonus of being able to run my trains at home or an event. If you're intrested in model railroading, I highly recommend you reach out to the club.