SEQUIM — An eye for detail, appreciation for nostalgia and love for all things railroad are some of the reasons hobbyists build intricate model replicas both inside and outside their homes.
“I think a lot of people start out with a train around the Christmas tree, and then they get to thinking about it later and they start in,” said Dick Wolf, 82, of Sequim.
Founded in about 1999
Wolf is a member of North Olympic Peninsula Railroaders. The Sequim-based organization — founded in about 1999 to promote interest in model railroading and full-size railroads — continues its 16th annual Train Show and Swap Meet today.
The show, which is free to the public, will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Sequim Prairie Grange, 290 Macleay Road.
“It is free admission to everybody, so we just hope people come and enjoy it and get into the hobby,” Wolf said.
“We usually get between 400 and 500” attendees each year.
“It should be a very fun event for everybody,” he added.
“That is the whole idea.”
About 30 people from Clallam and Jefferson counties are members of North Olympic Peninsula Railroaders, Wolf said.
They enjoy tinkering with electronics, building models, painting elaborate backdrops and sharing their craft with the public, he added.
Wolf was looking forward to setting up a mobile display at this weekend’s show, he said.
In addition to viewing various working railroad models on display, attendees also will be able to purchase railroad items and memorabilia, model trains and model layouts.
Wolf and his wife, Evelyn, moved to Sequim in the late 1990s after he retired from a geotechnical company.
World of model railroads
It was at about this time the couple began delving into the world of model railroads, he said.
“We did it as we could,” he said.
“It can be expensive, [but] most of them are fairly reasonable if you look at it over a time period.”
Wolf began with one G-scale engine and began building a track connecting a “train yard” inside his home to his outdoor garden.
G scale, or G gauge, is one of several model railway scales commonly used in outdoor sets, Wolf said.
“For general purpose, this is the largest that hobbyists usually use,” he said.
Wolf now has 17 engines and over 100 cars in his collection, he said.
A typical G-scale engine can run anywhere from $100 to $1,000, depending on the model, he said.
The engines are controlled remotely and draw electricity directly from the tracks.
And while Wolf has both diesel- and steam-engine models, he prefers steam locomotives, he said.
Steam engines
“I go for mostly steam engines. I just like the sound and look of them,” he said.
Using one or two engines at a time and interchanging the railroad cars they pull, Wolf takes his models for a spin whenever he gets a chance.
After exiting his home, the small trains cross a bridge and travel through a tunnel before emerging into a miniature world.
The trains travel through an Americana-style landscape, made up of quaint railroad depots, a waterfall, forested areas and villages complete with “citizens” going about their business.
“Most of our stuff here is pretty natural,” Wolf said.
“We use real rocks and we use real water, real trees” and, of course, “real weeds,” he joked.
The miniature railroad line is named the D&E, for Dick and Evelyn, while the buildings are all named after Wolf’s family members, he said.
“All the buildings and all the places are named after our kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and parents,” he said.
For more information about the club, visit www.geocities.ws/noprclub/index-2.html.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
