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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... SOUTHERN OREGON JOURNAL Southern Oregon Journal: It's a small world Comment By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News I discovered the article mother lode over a root beer float. Never mind that I erred in ordering rocky road ice cream instead of vanilla. Anyway, there sat Bruce and Judy McGarvey (future column subjects) slurping chocolate sodas. Complete strangers, they asked my friend and me to join them at the only sunny table. A few minutes passed before I realized I’d struck conversation gold. I love it when that happens. The longer we chatted with this fascinating couple, the more article possibilities emerged. One prime nugget popped out when Bruce uttered the words "model railroading," a hobby I’ve admired since I was a kid watching my brother, Alan’s, locomotive chug around the metal track, sounding a plaintive wail, puffing smoke balls and hauling bottle caps and tinker toys in the open cars. Bruce works at Campbell Scale Models in Central Point. Scale models are the small, made-to-scale buildings, bridges and other props model railroaders use to build their layouts. I fell in love with Campbell models while meandering through last November’s Southern Oregon Model Railroader’s Show held annually at the National Guard Armory. I’d made the rounds, ending at Campbell’s. Their display stopped me in my tracks. There they were, maybe 100 examples of perfectly executed dioramas of idyllic places — tiny worlds under glass: trestle bridges, general stores, grain elevators — all incredibly real. I wondered if the people and animals would spring to life in the miniature Edens if I watched long enough. It was hard to tear myself away. When Bruce McGarvey said he’d give me a tour of the factory, I was a kid again. Wednesday I phoned Bruce and was able to drive right over. On arrival, Bruce introduced me to owner Duncan Campbell, though not the namesake and unrelated. His name was mere providence. He shared a brief history of founder Leo Campbell, an avid railroader who had served as an 18-year-old Marine on Okinawa during WWII. Leo Campbell started the model kit-making business 60 years earlier. Duncan Campbell took over operations 12 years ago following Leo’s passing. The shop looked as I’d imagined, with cool machinery, metal filings and wood shavings littering the floor. While I kept saying “wow,” Campbell patiently explained the purpose of each tool, some nearly WWII vintage and weighing as much as a car. It seemed ironic that something of such mass could create the delicate, thin pieces for perfect bunkhouses and barns. He showed me a stack of clear-grain sugar pine, and told me how superior it was for strength and beauty, and how the kit pieces were laser cut for precision. I began to understand why their models were superior to others I’d seen, why they had an allure that drew my inner child to look closely and return to that place when time was of no consequence. These men loved model railroading, and it showed. The other two elves, I mean, men working there were Tom Miller, retired chief warrant officer with the Coast Guard, and J.R. Donovan, whose expertise with the temperamental shingle machine (yes, there is a machine for that) was unparalleled. Duncan Campbell (future column subject) holds no fewer than 13 U.S. patents related to his engineering skills. He’s a very smart man who loves to play with trains. When I tried to bridge the connection, he said, “There’s something in the brain that takes you back to childhood.” There it was, and it didn’t matter who you were. I returned home feeling a bit like Gullivina leaving Lilliput with one I-beam, a 2-by-4, and a load of roofing materials, all tucked into my shirt pocket. Theirs is a small and perfect world. Peggy Dover is a freelance writer. Visit her Facebook page at Peggy Dover-writer, and email her at [email protected]. By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 15, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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