Model train collectors gather in Finch Fieldhouse for showcase


Model train makers, collectors and enthusiasts gathered at the 39th Annual Mid-Michigan Model Train Show on Sunday. 

Hundreds of ticket-buyers filled Finch Fieldhouse to browse and admire the intricate model trains. 

This showcase involved model train vendors and salespeople selling pieces, sets and kits to begin or add on to a model. Model train enthusiast groups, like organizers Saginaw River Valley Model Railroad Club, set up their gigantic landscape for public viewing. 

Vice President Chris Litsair said the SRV Railroad Club began in 1979 after by a small group of model train lovers. The club now has over 500 Facebook followers. More clubs are set up all over Michigan including many in Detroit and Lansing. 

This is the most northern showcase in Michigan. Collectors are drawn from the upper peninsula and some parts of southern Michigan. 

Model railroad construction is a hobby that has been around since the late 1800s but found significant popularity during the youth of the baby boomer generation. 

“It doesn’t matter what age you are, even the guys with grey hair and beards are still boys that love their trains,” said Chris Klemm, president of the SRV Railroad Club.

Klemm said building a model requires you to be an electrician, carpenter and artist all at the same time. The railways are miniaturized landscapes that can take on an urban or rural setting. The trains are built to go over bridges, through tunnels and can swap tracks like a real train. 

Lionel Corporation is one popular model train manufacturer. The company began production in 1900 and some of their pre-World War II merchandise holds a large vintage price tag. 

Some vendors are private operations, like an estate sale. Owosso resident, Dale Baker, has been selling train sets that belonged to a childhood friend that recently passed away. He has attended a few different showcases in the state and enjoys conversing with the model builders. 

Some sponsored organizations like Dog Tales, an organization dedicated to improving children literacy skills using registered therapy dogs as mentors, were set up in the convention. Some railway preservation movements also set up shop in the showcase like the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society. 

Concession services were provided by the CMU Geography and Environmental Studies Club. And gift packages were raffled off throughout the showcase. 

While model railways are still a hobby directed at previous generations the SRV Railroad Club is hopeful that it will be passed down to younger generations. Parents could be seen with their children at the show and many were in awe of the detail and creativity that went into crafting a large-scale layout. 

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