Model trains on display all the live long day

Children skipped and swung on their parents’ arms as they walked happily into the 15^th annual Carolina Coastal Railroaders Train Show on Saturday that featured model trains of all different shapes and sizes operated by the railroaders and individual train enthusiasts.

There were as many as 1,800 people on Saturday and 1,200 people on Sunday who were expected to attend the show to see the trains and to peruse the booths of the vendors selling railroad-related merchandise, said Dave Finn, president of the railroaders.

The group’s approximately 44-by-20-foot portable track layout was set up at the show’s entrance, with trains moving past miniature row houses, a hog farm including tiny hogs, mountain tunnels and train stations.

George Shalhoub was one of three club members operating a train at the track when the show opened at 10 a.m. His train engine, an Atlantic Coast Line train engine that was pulling 12 cars, could flash its lights, ring its bell and blow its horn at the push of a remote control button.

“For me it’s just the idea that you run it as a real train,” Shalhoub said, explaining the allure of participating in the railroaders club. “I just enjoy running the locomotive.”

Finn said the 38-member club meets on a regular basis to build layouts, set up scenery, and assign tasks to different members to run the set like it is a real railroad.

“It’s just a group of guys, there are 38 of us, who probably from childhood have been fascinated with railroad operations and equipment,” he said.

Kip and Janet Peregoy brought their grandchildren Sean Gordick, 4, and Sydney Gordick, 2, of Charlotte to the train show. Kip Peregoy said he has given his grandson his old American Flyer train set to play with at Christmas, and the show is the only place they can find equipment for the set since the trains are no longer manufactured.

“It’s kind of a family thing — the old trains being passed down and seeing them here,” he said.

Janet Peregoy sat with Sydney and Sean watching as the New Bern Garden Railroad Society trains circled the track.

 “They could just sit and watch for hours,” she said. “It’s just a fun, happy thing to do.”

Morehead City residents Brad Carter, 16, and Vinny Santoro, 16, both displayed their individual model train layouts at the show. The two are neighbors and best friends, and they help each other build train layouts and track designs in their free time.

Brad’s layout featured a train moving by a carnival scene that included a Ferris wheel, swings, and other rides, while Santoro had two trains moving in two different circular directions in a winter scene across a bridge.

Brad said this is his third year at the show, and he has always enjoyed it in the past.

“I really like seeing the looks on kids’ faces when they come by,” he said.

Laura Oleniacz can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at loleniacz@freedomenc.com.

Want to go?

What: Carolina Coastal Railroaders Train Show

Where: New Bern High School

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

How much: tickets are $6, although children younger than 12 get in free. All children must be accompanied by an adult.