THE WB&A KIDS’ TRAIN SHOW: Planting The Seeds for A New Generation of Model Railroaders

By Bob Gray, TCA# 16-71646   Summer e*Train 2023

The WB&A Chapter of Eastern Division teamed up with the National Capital Trolley Museum to host a day of fun and exploration of rail transportation. Hundreds of youngsters and their parents enjoyed an afternoon jampacked with the sights, sounds, and smells of model railroading.

As visitors entered the museum, they were greeted by a WB&A host Glenn Roe, who quickly oriented them to what they were about to see. First, they entered the Museum Auditorium where they were greeted by the “clickity-clack” of model trains. The eyes of the kids widened as the realized that the room was a full of model trolleys and trains, all moving at the same time.

One layout featured a “magic button” that when pushed by the children, filled the room with the familiar sound of a whistle, signaling the approach of an oncoming train. Parents, too, were intrigued by the layouts. They chatted with our team of exhibitors about the variety of model trains on display and many shared stories of their experiences with layouts created by their parents and grandparents.

The first layout visitors encountered as they entered the auditorium was a LEGO train set up by NCTMuseum volunteer Anthony Vo. It was immediately recognized by many of the kids due to their familiarity with the LEGO building blocks. One young attendee, who had a similar set of his own, took control of the layout for an extended time in the afternoon, thrilling his parents and grandparents.

The next exhibit was a O-Gauge layout featuring Trolley Bumper Cars travelling on a modified figure-eight track. This layout was an unplanned addition to the show. It was created on-site on the morning of the event by an innovative team of WB&A members. The kids loved it!

Just beyond the trolleys was an O-gauge Thomas the Tank layout with the booming train whistle and a train shed that when a button was pushed by the children, a conductor popped out and returned to his post. This layout was constructed specially for this show by WB&A member Michael Ackerman.

Onward around the auditorium visitors encountered the smallest exhibit of all, a Z-scale layout built into an attaché case by WB&A member Doug Campbell. It featured a tiny train of cars each about one-inch in length. Powered by battery, it amazed visitors throughout the day.

Moving on, was a truly unique HO Scale layout made up of vintage circus train carriages. NCTMuseum volunteer Garrett Nicholson graciously agreed to add this unusual collection to the Kids’ Train Show. It was a treat for WB&A members to have a chance to examine this unusual layout in action.

The largest layout on display was a 96” x 60” S-scale layout with a ton of operating accessories and smoking locomotives. WB&A member Al Marotta and his family along with friends from the Baltimore Area American Flyer Club, set up the action-packed exhibit that gave visitors an idea of the fun people have getting together to “play with trains.”

Across the room was a fascinating N-Scale layout with multiple running trains and an eclectic collection of kid-oriented accessories. Arising from the seemingly never-ending collection of Chuck and Carol McGinnis, this layout demonstrated how modelling in n-scale allows train hobbyists to create the illusion of distance and space in a relatively small area.

The granddaddy layout of our show was the Standard Gauge exhibit provided by WB&A member John Buxton. There is nothing that matches the sound of these large trains zooming around tight curves. Standard Gauge, also known as wide gauge, was an early model railway and toy train rail gauge, introduced in the United States in 1906 by Lionel Corporation.

Completing the circuit of layouts in the Trolley Museum Auditorium was a beautiful G-Scale layout that feature both trains and trolleys. These highly-detailed cars and locomotives are often used for outdoor garden railways because of its size and durability. Displayed under the watchful eye of WB&A member Chuck McGinnis, many visitors were amazed by the size of these models.

Before leaving the room, all of the kids attending the show were offered a free model train car. WB&A members had contributed items from their collections over the past year for this purpose. Over the years, many members have been giving cars away at our train shows and meets. The kids love it. So, for this event we decided that every child would get a train car. In addition, we gave away a of number sets of Train Videos that featured famous train rides of the United States and many others from around the world. A large set of wooden push trains was also presented to a randomly selected visitor by WB&A member John Gomoljak who was our “Month of May Santa Claus”, distributing the goodies to the kids.

Upon leaving the auditorium, visitors could go in one of several directions. Museum director Brittany Lester facilitated a Trolley Story Time with groups of kids, a large Push-Train Layout was available for kids to have fun with hands-on trains, tours of the Museum’s exhibits and model trolley layout were offered, and many visitors took the opportunity to ride the Museum’s trolleys.

A truly unique feature of the Kids’ Train Show was a dedicated hour of visitation for kids with special needs. Organized and facilitated by Museum Director, Brittany Lester with help from WB&A supporter Margaret Buxton, this hour was designed to provide a time of comfort for children to view the show exhibits.

The WB&A thanks the National Capital Trolley Museum for hosting this event. We appreciate the help of all of the Museum’s staff in making the show a success. Lastly, another big thank you to Brittany Lester for her great ideas and support and to Hermes Vanderlee, Museum Manager, who was always there when we needed to “make things work.”

Note: More pictures from the KIDS’ TRAIN SHOW are on the WB&A Website: wba-tca-eastern.org.