Big crowd for little trains at model railway open house

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on March 21, 2023.

Herald photo by Justin Seward Archie and Arthur Douglas watch as the N scale train layout comes around the tracks at the Southern Alberta Model Railway Club open house on Saturday at Gyro Park.

The Southern Alberta Model Railway Club held its spring open house on Saturday at Gyro Park.

Guests could view HO scale models, which was the middle scale, the smaller N Scale layout and the G Scale layout which people could see go around a track on the ceiling.

The scales depict the late 1950s into the early 1960s, the modern era and with lots of train moving around.

The HO scale was an original layout from when the club was established in 1972.

“So everything people see, it’s kind of the culmination of 50 years’ worth of work,” said Martin Ebel, SAMRC assistant superintendent.

“Some things our members build -some of the structures, the scenery. We get the supplies and then people put them together, and then some things that we buy like the locomotives and the rolling stock, and we do that from member fees and donations and so forth.”

Ebel was fascinated with trains as a young boy and having his own little lay out.

“I’d say now at a different stage of my life as a grown up, I really enjoy the community of the hobby,” said Ebel.

“It’s something that brings together people of all ages. It’s very collaborative. People are always working together, helping each other out with the knowledge and everything like that. It’s very relaxed, it’s not a high pressure hobby, you can kind of just relax and approach it from any angle.”

Will Douglas was out with his three boys Alfie, Archie, Arthur and wife Paige.

“We have a little bit of track at home and the boys, when we have it set up, love to play with it,” said Will.

“But to come see this, yeah it’s amazing, it really is something else. I had no idea this place even existed until today.”

Will was fascinated about the time and detail that was put in to the models.

“I could only dream of having something like this when I was a kid,” he said.

“I had a little wooden board and that’s as far as I got. So to see someone take it this far, it’s pretty cool, and for people to come together and do it, it’s pretty amazing.”

The Saturday open house attracted over 500 people by 2:30 p.m.

SAMRC currently has under 30 members and are always looking for more.