Railroad Heritage Weekend coming up

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

Prepare to be impressed.

It’s the 10th anniversary for the Railroad Heritage Weekend and this year’s show is shaping up to be one of the best.

The two-day event, to be held July 12 and 13 at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds, will be the largest ever, with five major model railroad layouts and close to 115 vendors.

It’s a chance for model railroad buffs to come together, talk shop, swap stories and maybe a railcar or two. Local facilitators set up a small display at Van Wert’s Main Street Market over the weekend to generate some interest, and that it did, as shoppers were amazed at the detail involved in the model railroad layouts.

Chuck White’s father first introduced him to the wonders of model railroads, and an old Lionel track in the basement of his childhood home sparked a lifelong interest that White sometimes calls an “infection.”

“Some people just get infected with it, and I’m one of those people,” White said. “It’s either that or I was dropped on my head when I was very small.”

A house fire when White was 10 years old caused the old model railroad to be packed away in boxes until White pulled it out one day when he was in high school.

“I think I drove my mom nuts,” he said. “I pulled it out and set it up on my bedroom floor and I’ve been infected ever since.”

White, who is helping organize this year’s event with Jan Dunlap, another local model railroad fan, is especially proud of this year’s show, which will feature some well-known names in the model railroad circle. “We will have what’s called the Hobo Crew coming down from Swanton and they’ll have a display that is actually 20 by 52,” White said. “We’ll also have another layout from some guys in Fort Wayne who will be setting up the largest configuration of their layout for our show.”

The Dalmatian Switching District, another fun layout that features an interactive game for fans, will also be a part of the show, and over 100 vendors will be on hand selling supplies, accessories and services.

Over the last decade, the show has been growing and expanding each and every year, and local organizers are hoping for big crowds, not only from the local area, but from around the state as well. “We’ve been sold out for about two weeks now, which is amazing,” White said, adding “this show probably has more layouts than any other show in the area, and we certainly have the potential to be one of the largest shows in Ohio, outside of some of the big cities like Cincinnati.”

White said the two-day event offers model railroad fans, or anyone interested in railroads and trains, to come out and learn about model trains, and how they operate. “We will have some problem solving layouts as well, and all different scales. We will have N scale displays, at least two HO displays, and of course, we’ll have Lionel, which is what everybody hears about at Christmas,” White said, adding that fans will also be interested in the intricate details and handwork that goes into all model railroads. “A lot of people aren’t aware of all the effects and scenery that goes into these,” he said. “When you put these together, you’re working with your hands the entire time and when you get done, you can say ‘I made this’ and you can be proud of it. There are guys I call Houdinis who work on these that do amazing things.”

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 13. Admission is $3 for adults. Children 12 and under are admitted free. The Van Wert County Historical Society sponsors the event. For more information, call White at 260.760.1666 or Dunlap at 419.238.4207.