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40 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 9, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 30, 2003 Elijah Scharaga, 6, and Eric Mott, 5, were mesmerized by the detailed animation of Doug Hormel�s Lionel scale train display Saturday at the 26th annual Rogue Valley Railroad Show at the Medford Armory. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Losing track of time No video games here. Model trains bring the past to new audiences By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Seven-year-old Michael Cox has been admiring model train sets for a long time. "I’ve seen two before," said the Ashland resident, holding up the appropriate number of fingers. He likes the trains, the track switches, the noises the trains make and the little people scattered around the set. And he wouldn’t mind a train for Christmas. If you noticed a shortage of young children Saturday in the Rogue Valley, it’s because they were leaning over railings watching little trains go ’round at the Medford Armory. Advertisement The 26th annual Rogue Valley Railroad Show is attracting train enthusiasts young and old this weekend for two stories of displays and swap tables as well as door prizes and raffles. "This is the best railroad show in Southern Oregon that you’ll ever find," said Bruce McGarvey of the railroad show committee. The event was hosted by the Morse Telegraph Club, the Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club, the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Southern Oregon Live Steamers and Southwest Oregon Large Scale Trains. The models ranged in size from trains you could sit on to little locomotives you could stuff in your back pocket. Trains choo-chooed through detailed scenes like a snowy winter wonderland with skiers going up a rope tow and eclectic design with pterodactyls in the trees and giant kangaroos on Main Street. "This is like a kid’s playland before Nintendo," said Walt Schimke of the Siskiyou Toy Train Club. Schimke and Doug Hormel erected an 8-by-18-foot set including two Lionel trains, a moving saw mill that seemingly transforms logs into lumber and a man with a barrel headed for the edge of a long waterfall. There are many other details that take a close eye to pick out. One highlight for young spectators was a train wreck that occurred when a switch was thrown accidentally and a train ran into a bumper. Onlookers stood back while Schimke repaired the model carnage. "We try to avoid them but the kids like it when it happens," he said. Schimke, 40, is a radio technician with the state police and also works on electrical systems for helicopters and planes. He said it all began with model trains in his youth. "I learned a lot of basic electricity working with this stuff," he said. Gerry Bowden with the Southern Oregon Live Steamers has made a profession out of his pastime. "I started this business as a hobby," said the Grants Pass resident who builds train replicas. Bowden brought his 17-foot 1944 Baldwin locomotive replica, which he built entirely from photographs. He estimates the engine, which will pull seven tons, is worth $140,000. It will get its first test run this summer. But, he added, this is his last locomotive. "I’ve built 30 of them." Schimke said it’s getting harder to find some of the accessories than it was when he was building train sets as a kid. And there are more and more children who come to the annual event who don’t know what a model train is. "You don’t see it advertised on TV," he said. "Kids like them when they see them but they don’t seem to be the first thing on their Christmas lists," he said. IF YOU GO What: Rogue Valley Railroad Show Where: Medford Armory, 1701 S. Pacific Highway, Medford. When: Today 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Cost: $4 general admission, $3 senior citizens, $10 family and free for ages 12 and under. All proceeds benefit Medford’s Railroad Park. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times