Pieces of a model railroad aren’t found at typical supermarkets.
For hobbyists who enjoy model trains, pieces are either built or found through the eclectic world of swap meets; thus, the Lewis County Model Railroad Club’s biannual model train show and swap meet in the Blue Pavilion of the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds.
The show was held on Saturday and Sunday, with more than 500 people attending between both days. Proceeds from the show are split 50-50 between the club and the Lewis County Historical Museum, which hosts the club and its model train exhibit.
Vendors come from far and wide to buy and sell model cars, Lego sets, railroadiana — artifacts from real railways — magazines and much more.
“We have one local hobby shop, but hobby shops are slowly fading out. Swap meets are kind of taking over. You can still order a lot of the specialty stuff you need, but at these shows you can find everything you need to build a railroad,” said Ted Livermore, club president. “Except for wood. You gotta go to Palmer Lumber for that.”
Livermore, 80, of Cinebar, has been working with model trains since age 3, though he stepped away from the hobby during his teen years because “girls and cars were more interesting,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s just fun. It’s a relaxing hobby. You have to be a creative person,” Livermore said.
The club has been putting on the show for 35 years. For some time, it was held in the Lewis County Mall.
“We used to only do it in October, that’s National Model Railroad Month. And people said ‘Hey let’s do it in springtime’ so I said ‘OK, we’ll do it in springtime’ and it turned out to be better than October,” Livermore said.
He said older visitors are drawn to the show because of childhood memories, while kids are drawn to it because it’s “something moving, something mechanical.”
Likewise, kids who visit the club’s exhibit at the museum tend to be fascinated by it, Livermore said. The museum also has an online stream for passing trains called Virtual Railfan, where viewers can chat with others and get information on the trains they see.
Robert Scott, a Rochester resident involved in the museum’s Virtual Railfan program, said it is especially valuable for kids who are autistic and take special interest in railroads. The stream, museum’s exhibits and club’s shows are a non-judgemental space to be fascinated by trains, Scott said.
The Lewis County Model Railroad Club meets at the museum every Friday from about 3 to 7 p.m. Meetings are free and open to the public.
