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Pulling into the station: Model train show to bring magic of locomotives to Plano Centre
Photo courtesy of Lone Star Flyer Train Club – The Dallas Area Model Train Show will return to the Plano Centre Jan. 19 and 20, bringing with it more than 10 operating model train layouts, more than 70 vendor booths and a selection of clinics for hobbyists looking to improve their displays.
By Conner Hammett, chammett@starlocalnews.com
North Texans will get a chance to immerse themselves in the world of locomotives when the Dallas Area Model Train Show pulls into the Plano Centre Jan. 19 and 20.
With the show, the North Texas Council of Railroad Clubs enters its 28th annual season, and its 10th year holding the event at the Plano Centre.
The council, which consists of 26 clubs from throughout the DFW Metroplex, will bring at least 12 operating model train layouts and 70 vendor booths, along with a mini-train ride, railroad art and how-to clinics to the event. One interactive display will allow guests to hook cars together to assemble a train on the tracks, just like a real railroad switching yard.
"The railroad industry is a tremendously impressive industry in the United States, and the model train is something that has the opportunity to duplicate that," he said. "One of the things that I really enjoy with the model trains, that I think is something that a lot of other people enjoy, is the creativity and the imagination stimuli that it offers. You can get a piece of the model train and you can put it up on the shelf as a piece to admire, and people gravitate to it to look at it. You can get heavily involved in putting together a table and scenery, and people enjoy that. It's [about] creativity."
Svatek said the show is designed to appeal both to the hobbyist, who can purchase model pieces and kits from vendor booths and attend how-to clinics, and the general public, who can enjoy the running displays and buy Thomas the Tank Engine merchandise for their little ones at vendor booths.
"We are really interested in reaching out an expanding our exposure, if you will," he said. "We're looking to introduce the hobby to additional people, [so they can also] enjoy railroading"
Svatek said a big part of the appeal of model trains is the ability to learn about and simulate the various functions trains have served over the years, transporting goods ranging from crops to coal.
"All of those are things the railroad has done for ages and continues to do today, and we can replicate that if we desire," he said. "Or we can put it on a track and let it run around the Christmas tree, and that's sheer enjoyment itself."
The Dallas Area Model Train show begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Admission is $8 per person. Children under 12 are admitted free.
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