Train fans enjoy show

TheTimesHerald.com (Port Huron, Michigan): Train fans enjoy show

McMorran Pavilion looked more like Grand Central Station on Saturday as the 29th annual Railroad Show and Swap Meet took place.

Dozens of people watched various trains circle their tracks and picked up trains or scenery for their own tracks at home.

Bob and Kathy Lipke of New Baltimore were looking for extra cars for Bob Lipke's 1953 train set that he planned to set up for his 2 ½-year-old grandson, Dylan.

"It's a tradition; it was passed on from my parents and I should pass it on to my grandkids," Bob Lipke said.

Four-year-old Jacob Schoenrock of Capac got his interest in trains from his father, a model railroader, said Jacob's mother Becky Schoenrock.

Jacob was able to buy tractors and cars for his train village back home at the meet.

He said his favorite part about trains is "that they run on the tracks."

Three-year-old Dylan Collins' favorite train -- Thomas the Tank Engine -- wasn't at the show, but he seemed to enjoy watching the other trains circle their tracks.

"He loves these things," said Dylan's mother, Donna Collins of Port Huron.

She said she could see Dylan upgrading from Thomas to model trains as he gets older.

Dylan wasn't the only one enjoying the show, either.

"I think it's pretty amazing," Collins said about the show. "I love to see all the displays."

Train enthusiasts also were having a good time.

It was the first time in years members of the Capital Area Railway Society of Lansing attended the show. The group had set up a 20-foot by 50-foot display with several trains circling various tracks.

"It's a hobby where I believe people of all ages can share in the industry," said Tim Lewis of Williamston and member of the Lansing group. "We have fun doing it. Young and old alike can just enjoy the hobby."

Fred Cesefske, a member of the show's sponsoring group the Huron Modeler Club, said they like having the event to get more people involved in the hobby.

"It's a good thing to promote the hobby to the public," Cesefske said. "We like to see the kids come in because that's the future of the hobby."