The railroad spirit runs deep in Patrick Ray and his family. His father enjoyed model trains and that passion was passed down to Ray from the moment he was born.
“When I came home from the hospital there was a little N-scale layout already set up for me to play with,” he said.
Trains run deep in Ray’s veins and today he is president of the High Desert Modular Model Railroad Club from Antelope Valley. The club came out to SCV this past weekend to share their hobby with the community for the ninth year in a row.
Eighty feet by 23 feet of model train tracks filled Hart Hall as residents gazed at the wide variety of trains and other related items that wound around the room. There were UFO’s, a trestle bridge and even a drive-in movie theatre playing an old William S. Hart movie.
Adults and children alike marveled at the model trains, such as Eric O’Hare, who came with his 4-year-old son. O’Hare also grew up loving trains and frequents train shows with his family.
Although, this is the first time he went to the show at Hart Hall, which was a treat for both him and his son.
“It’s the first time I’ve been here and we’re enjoying it,” he said.
He especially appreciated the trestle bridge that Ben Diaz built in the corner of the track. Diaz has been a member of the club since its inception 11 years ago. In fact, he was already thinking about next year’s train show at Hart Hall before he had even taken down his train set.
“Next year, I want to see if we can bring the World War II set up,” he said. “I also have museums that want my stuff but I say no because it belongs to the train club.”
