WYOMING, Mich. — Visiting Hobby Worldin Wyoming you could easily miss it, but just past the aisles, down a flight of stairs and through a doorway lies a train lovers paradise.
Western Michigan Railroad Club member Maxwell Crosby says, "A lot of people don’t know it’s here."
Several hundred feet of tracks and model cities make up the HO railway.
Entusiasts like club member Jake Abel say when you're not a real train engineer, the miniature version is the next best thing, “There’s something to be said for a guy in a cab, pulling a giant lever and moving thousands of pounds of metal."
Visitors are welcome anytime the store is open and a club member is there, “You can come down here and watch us run trains," says Crosby, "We buy them, collect them and we share them with others."
Running model trains isn't just putting them down on the tracks and hitting go. Operators control their speed and communicate with other trains so it doesn't turn into a mini version of bumper cars. Crosby says, “We have hit head on, but we do our best to avoid that."
It might seem like a blast for the kids, but Crosby says the train layout attracts hobbyists of all ages, “Our youngest member is ten or eleven years old and our oldest member is in his eighties. So it’s not just a hobby for the young or a hobby for the old, it’s a hobby for everybody.”
The club is hosting their 37th annual train show Sunday December 4th from 10 am to 3pm at the Knights of Columbus: 5830 Clyde Park Ave Wyoming, Mi 49509.
