All aboard: Annual show promotes model railroading

LIMA - Troy Kleman can't recall what started his fascination with model railroading. All he can remember is a lifelong love of trains and tracks.

Kleman's passion for model railroading, along with one of his layouts, was on display Saturday during the Putnam Association of Railfans annual train show and swap meet at the Allen County Fairgrounds.

"I really couldn't tell you how I got into trains. It's been all my life, really," said Kleman, 18, of Ottawa. "I got into it just by watching other people run their trains. I got involved in the club because they have a display at the Putnam County Fair every year, and I would spend hours watching their trains run until I joined the club and started running trains with them."

Clad in a blue-and-white-striped conductor's cap, Kleman eagerly answered questions as children approached, curious about his train looping through his miniature village.

"Watching little kids with big smiles on their face is great," Kleman said. "It's funny to think that you at one time were the kid who couldn't touch the trains and get up close, and now I am. You see yourself in the kids sometimes."

In addition to enthusiasts displaying their operating layouts, the show also featured vendors with all manner of trains and accessories. There were books and artwork. The show is designed to be all things for model railroad enthusiasts, said Terry Oliver, train chairman for the group.

"Every year between Christmas and New Year's Day, we have a train show. We have approximately 35 to 40 dealers who show up every year, maybe 800 to 1,000 people come through on a good year," Oliver said. "We usually have layouts for the kids and the adults to enjoy. This year, we're down on displays but we made up with more tables."

For Oliver, model railroading has been a lifelong enjoyment.

"My earliest memories are riding on trains on the old Cloverleaf from Continental up to Toledo. My grandfather was a brakeman on that route," Oliver said. "Other folks in our club have similar memories like that."