Crazy for trains

WASILLA — Train buffs ages 7 to 70 turned out Saturday for a model train show at First Baptist Church.

The Rev. Stephan Shrimplin, pastor of the church, said turnout was good for the first-year event. He said the show is a way to meet new people and give back to the community.

“We think it’s a great hobby,” he said.

Various trains at the show were all from church members’ collections, Shrimplin said, adding he and his son have been into trains for years.

“It gives us a good hobby to do together,” he said.

One room had wooden toy trains that children could set up and play with. Shrimplin said he built some of that train’s tunnels and bridges for his son Daniel, 14, who also spent the day helping at the event.

Bobby King was one of the church members who brought his N-scale train to the show.

King said he grew up in northern Texas near Amarillo, so he bought Santa Fe and Burlington Northern cars for his model train. He said he bought this train especially for the show.

“I had a train when I was 10 or 11, but I don’t know where it is now,” King said.

Delano Horner, 7, is the engineer and Declan Horner, 5, is the conductor: They know all about trains, thanks to their grandpa.

“Grandpa has gone crazy with trains,” Delano said. “He doesn’t like us to play with them.”

The brothers spent several minutes admiring the Shrimplin family’s train setup, a Lionel train with 13 cars, real steam and lights that come on inside the passenger cars.

“This train really puts out steam,” Declan said.

“And it’s more powerful than the G scale,” Delano said.

Scales range from the micro-sized Z-scale to G-scale trains, he said.

Doug Sehn brought his trains — and his 10-year-old grandson Garrett — to the show. He said he’s also a member of the newly formed Mat-Su Model Railroad Club.

“I was involved with trains as a kid,” he said. “But I gave it up for girls and cars.”

As a boy, the Birchwood section house was three miles from his house near mile 20 of the Old Glenn Highway. Back then, the railroad still used steam engines, and Sehn said that sound is etched in his memory.

Sehn and Pat Durand started playing with trains when they were young, and both men continued the hobby into adulthood, Sehn said.

“It’s something that can be done at any age,” he said.

Amber Levanger brought her children, Kye Levanger, 3, and his sister Jayla Levanger, 8 months, to the train show. She said Kye is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine.

“It’s a really good introduction to the whole model train world,” she said.

Contact Heather A. Resz at heather.resz@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.