Model trains roll into town for intimate show Saturday

Published 11:58 am Thursday, August 11, 2011

At first glance, nothing unique stands out about Tom Gilchrist’s garden, but given a few seconds one might hear a “choo-choo” or “chug” rise from behind the potted petunias.

When the Fairwood man’s model train hobby started as a Christmas gift 20 years ago, little did he know that it would take over his backyard.

“It’s like a disease. It’s like any addiction, by time you’re addicted, it’s too late,” he said.

Gilchrist came up with the idea for the Issaquah Train Show about five years ago. Its sixth show is this Saturday, Aug. 13 at Issaquah’s historic train depot.

In addition to a Garden Railroad, like the one in Gilchrist’s backyard, the show will have tiny Z-scale trains and a real Army Car on tracks.

Organizers are also planning activities for kids, who are often fond of crashing the toys instead of observing the collections.

At Gilchrist’s home, a black train engine pulling yellow cars loops through mini train depots, water towers and homes.

Carefully stepping through the tracks, he looks like a giant trying to sneak into a rural town.

“This is a part of my empire,” he said with a smile.

Gilchrist ages his cars with paint, creating rusty red splotches on the roofs, and fills some of them with carefully painted people, some waiving out of empty windows.

Garden trains are too big for a house, but are sized perfectly for a backyard. He admittedly spends more time gardening around his tracks than building trains.

The building aspect of model trains is what keeps Gilchrist interested.

He also enjoys the community around it, once even hosting tour groups coming to check out his set.

The neighbors don’t mind, as long as he keeps the noise down.

“If I turn the volume up, it can be very obnoxious,” he said. “All of the kids come.”

A few minutes later, a neighborhood boy called from the fence “Uncle Tom?” He’s among a few who come over to see his setup.

Youth are not as interested in the hobby as they once were, unless they can play with trains on a computer, Gilchrist said. “The hobby is getting older, but on the other end, it’s getting very high tech.”

Controlled with a little black remote, the trains make different noises when they pass little sensors under the track.

The train show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Aug. 13 at the Issaquah Depot on 50 Rainier Blvd. N., Issaquah. The cost is $2 for adults and $1 for children. The money raised goes toward the Issaquah Historical Society.

A model train chugs around a track in Tom Gilchrist’s garden. He helped start the Issaquah Train Show, which is Aug. 13 this year.

Tom Gilchrist has been a train model hobbyist for about 20 years. He helped start the Issaquah Train Show, which is having its sixth annual show Aug. 13.