Easton Colglazier plays with the train set, driving a small toy car around near the train tracks and model homes and businesses.

Fridays evenings and midmorning Saturdays, Meadowlark Art Gallery is hosting a model train display for public viewing, set up by Karl Dudo, Darrel Pierce and Kevin Schrotberger.

The train, Dudo explained, is an HO scale train, meaning it uses a 1:87 scale compared to the actual train it’s modeled after. 

The 8 feet by 12 feet display is meant to represent mainline rails going through a rural community, and includes local businesses relevant to the area circa the 1950s.

Dudo estimates it took two to three days to piece together the entire display, “but it’s never really done.” There are always changes that can be made to the train board, and scenery can be recreated in any number of ways.

He also noted they plan to make small changes to the details of the board each week, such as adding steam engines to the railroads.

Schrotberger is the owner of the train board and much of the equipment they’re running each weekend, and Dudo says he, Pierce and Schrotberger all share a fondness for trains.

In fact, Dudo has previously set up displays for the public in town, years ago at True Value Hardware and Pinnacle Bank, who he noted were excellent hosts while he had his board set up there.

“Everybody has a hobby,” Dudo said. “Some people collect firearms, some people collect baseball cards, some people collect dolls, and knitting things. Some people just really enjoy model trains.”

Last summer, Dudo approached DeeAnn Tatum about running the train while the gallery was closed for the winter season, and she obliged, providing a large open space for the group to display the model.

“We have so much room, which means we can have a bigger crowd, plus good lighting,” Dudo said, adding that Tatum has been a great host to them.

The gallery provides enough space for a large train board, and allows community members to participate in the hobby. Dudo said it was a little holiday treat for the community.

Dudo grew up by a train mainline with passenger and freight trains passing through. He said he was always interested and amazed to see the freight cars which would travel all over the country shipping machinery, refrigerated products and more.

“It just really gave me some ideas of how big the world is,” he noted.

He added that post World War II babies, like himself, were exposed to model trains, and it’s something he holds on to and wants to pass on to younger generations.

With the internet, youth are able to complete tasks in a few short minutes, whereas model trains involve patience and experience and physically erecting the display.

Years ago, Dudo said model trains were a relatively popular hobby, particularly with older adults, but he doesn’t know if the younger crowd will be as interested in the hobby. He hopes the display will help expose them to something new they might enjoy.

So far, Dudo noted they have had a pretty good turnout while they’ve had the train running. The first Friday it was up, the wind and poor weather limited the audience, but Saturday, Dec. 11 Pierce said there were around 20 visitors. Just halfway through the viewing hours last Saturday, they had over 15 people stop by to take a look.

“I think people enjoy viewing it because it takes them back to when they were young and had a train set,” Dudo said. “It turns on a lot of lightbulbs when you start talking to people about trains.”

The train has been running Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, but their hours will change for the holiday weekend.

Wednesday, Dec. 22, the train board will be available for public viewing from 3-5 p.m., as well as Thursday and Friday afternoon, though a specific time frame has not been set. The train will not be available for viewing Saturday as it is Christmas Day.

Additional viewing times, particularly for larger groups, can be arranged by contacting Dudo or Pierce.

“We want the community to view it as a hobby and enjoy it, and hopefully the younger children are willing to enjoy it,” Dudo said.

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PO Box 67 327 Central Ave in Grant Grant NE 69140

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