On The Right Track: Collecting Model Railroad Trains

 Well, the tree is about to come down, the needles are falling all over the skirt where the train track was supposed to carry my old Lionel train round and round. My set was given to me by my parents just after WW II ended in the late forties, they had added to the set every Christmas for about six years, and I truly intended to have it fixed this year. My grandkids would have enjoyed seeing the ancient train puff smoke and whistle as it went chugging on the track. As in the past nine years, the engine sat in the attic waiting for repair till it was too late to have it ready for the holidays. In shame, I went to Procrastinators Anonymous but arrived an hour after the meeting ended. Again!

I had good intentions this time, and started in October with a visit to our local hobby shop, Greenfield News & Hobby, and met Jerry, the founder of the Lionel Railroad Club of Milwaukee. I explained my need for parts missing from my old engine and he suggested I bring it in for an evaluation. Jerry was so enthusiastic when discussing old Lionels that I decided to contact him right away to learn more info on model railroad collecting. I must have missed more meetings of PA, because I finally set up a visit with him this week. Jerry kindly invited me to see the Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club facility, located in an office condo complex that the club purchased in 2002.

Hell Gate Bridge

The size of the layout hit me as I entered the door and looked up to see a members’- built replica of the Hell Gate Bridge in New York, carrying many tracks for trains to traverse the inner perimeter of the building. Jerry took me around the house showing off the various track layouts and array of apparatus that control the fourteen separate tracks, allowing many members to run the trains simultaneously.

“Jerry, what was your first train set?” I asked. He responded “a Marx tin type windup, and then my folks found an ad for a used Lionel Train set in the local newspaper, and four years later bought me a 2056 engine, which I still consider my prize possession. We would set up on the dining room table for the holidays and everyone had to eat in the kitchen. I’d watch the head light come round the curve for hours, it was hypnotic.”

 ”I understand you founded this club and several others around the country, how did that happen?”

“I spent thirty-three years with the Army Reserve, 20 on active duty, and started a club in each city I was stationed. The first one was here in Milwaukee sixty-one years ago, with the help and encouragement of my parents.”

Lionel Railroad Clubs are located in St. Louis (25 yrs.), Chicago (16 yrs.),  San Francisco (22 yrs.) and Racine, Wisconsin (10 yrs.), with a combined membership of over 900. The club’s mission is to encourage family fun while educating youngsters on the history of railroads and the thrill of running a model train.

The Milwaukee club works with the Boy Scouts to earn a merit badge in railroading and with other young people like 4H’ers. Jerry (Engineer Jerry) also enjoys presenting Thomas-The-Tank with a monthly appearance at our local hobby store, introducing toy trains to the very young.

For the serious collector, four associations with around 50,000 members participate in swap meets with most located along both coasts, and especially in the New York area with Lionel having started in New Jersey.

We discussed the many venues for viewing model trains at railroad shows and sales. He had lots of brochures for upcoming events in the Northern Illinois and Wisconsin areas and mentioned that Kalmbach’s many publications dedicated to model railroading contain advertising of future events.

Jerry pointed out the beginnings of a collection that is being donated to the club, and from what he showed me, it’s going to be a fantastic addition to their library and museum. We’ll discuss the collection in my Tuesday post.