Shows Gets On Track for Model Railroad Enthusiasts

It was the craftsmanship that lured Carol Julian to Long Beach on Tuesday.

Miniature carousels, cows and cabooses--all small enough to hold in the palm of your hand--have fascinated the Woodland Hills saleswoman since she bought her first model trains four years ago.

“I thought they looked cute,” Julian said as she browsed a 476-foot-long miniature railroad track assembled on the third floor of the Long Beach Sheraton. “I bought them and I put them on a table and that ended up being not enough.”

That’s just the kind of attitude organizers of the 61st annual National Train Show are counting on this weekend as they prepare to challenge an attendance record of 31,000 set at a show three years ago in Pennsylvania.

They considered Tuesday’s show, which drew hundreds of hobbyists specializing in one particular scale of model trains, a glimpse of the much larger event that will open Friday across the street at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Trying to describe what it is about railroads that continues to intrigue people in the age of the Internet, show publicist Jim Myers said that trains offer a unique brand of nostalgia.

“Trains made America,” he said. “The railroad is what brought the country together.”

In addition to the artwork and gadgetry, Myers said this weekend’s show will feature collectibles such as “silver service” china left over from the posh dining cars of the 1930s, as well as antique brakemen’s lanterns and model locomotives.

On display will be more than 30 operational train tracks showcasing the passion of clubs nationwide, including the loop that absorbed more than a dozen armchair engineers Tuesday.

Track layout coordinator Bob Osterhoudt emphasized that the meticulously landscaped tracks are a focus of the show and will likely be the biggest treat this weekend. But Osterhoudt noted that even when the tracks stand isolated in a lonely garage, the enduring hobby still serves a important purpose: “It keeps us out of trouble.”