The engine races down the track spouting steam after it exits a tunnel. The whistle blows and my four-year-old son is spellbound. But wait, that grass around the tunnel is actually ground-up foam, the trees – so life-like –are made of glue, and the train is only three inches high. Verisimilitude aside, my son is in love. Ever since he was old enough to say the word “train,” Toby has loved trains. He dresses as Thomas the Tank Engine every Halloween, he has train character toys spread across the floors of every room in our house, and last year during a Thanksgiving exercise at preschool, he told his teachers he was thankful for trains. Other children were thankful for their families. Because he loves it so, our family always attends the The Great Train Expo at the Kentucky International Convention Center. This annual model train show attracts four-year-old Thomas fans and forty-year-old train geeks alike for a weekend of model train exhibits, a maze of vendors, and even an old-fashioned hand crank train ride around a circular track.
This year, the Expo will be held the weekend of January 21-22 and we’ll be saving our pennies until then. Admission for adults and children over 12 is $7.00, cash or check only, but children under 12 are FREE. Local and regional exhibitors erect complicated model layouts, some with holiday themes, some with Disney characters, one with painstakingly detailed Lego cars, and one year I recall a train passing through a tornado that looked like a middle school science project. Children are allowed to operate the controls at some of the stations, but most of the toddler set swarm the toy train tables for a chance to make Thomas pull a heavy load across the wooden tracks. Check the schedule for workshops if you want to learn the secrets of model train maintenance or how to make miniature foliage. Vendors, such as local stores Roundhouse Electric Trains and L & N Trains and Things, are on hand peddling t-shirts, conductor hats, train whistles, train posters, DVDs, and lots and lots of tiny trains. For my son, this is better than ice cream on a hot summer day. We circle the vendors looking for Thomas trains that have gone out of circulation and compare prices. The prices are so affordable that my husband and I can justify the purchase of three trains that might normally go for $12-$20 retail. If you have toy or model trains you would like to sell, bring them along. Many vendors will buy used trains for resale or offer an appraisal.
Be prepared to spend a little money and a lot of time at the Expo. This is a time investment; my son is tireless when it comes to the choo-choo. The show runs from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Pack a lunch or bring cash for corn dogs!
If you are unable to attend the Expo this year, there are many other local options for entertaining your train-loving brood. Local model railroading clubs meet monthly and offer train swaps. For instance, Division 8 Mid Central Region, National Model Railroad Association will have a booth at the Expo, and, according to Association President Bob Dawson, also have two trains shows each year with dealers and train layouts. Their next show will be March 24 at the Ramada Plaza. If you can’t wait until March, head over to the South Louisville Toy and Antique Mall on Blue Lick Road where model trains run every Sunday afternoon from 1:00 – 5:00, and train rides in hand cars for the kiddos are FREE! Train rides are offered only during spring, summer and fall, but five large indoor train layouts are always up and always free to enjoy. You can even dig your old model engines out of the attic and run them on the tracks.
The Details
The Great Train Expo
The Kentucky International Convention Center
Saturday & Sunday, January 21-22
10:00-4:00pm
www.trainexpoinc.com
National Model Railroad
Association Show
Div. 8 Mid Central Region
Ramada Plaza
9700 Blue Grass Parkway
March 24
http://div8-mcr-nmra.org
South Louisville Antique & Toy Mall
4126 E Blue Lick Rd
Louisville KY 40229-6060
(502) 955-5303
Check out their Facebook page for more information
Roundhouse Electric Trains
4870 Brownsboro Center
Louisville, KY 40207
(502) 895-2466
L & N Trains and Things
2115 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 897-9005
Each month this column will cover a topic of interest for Louisville families, offering budget-friendly options for entertainment. Often quirky, always local.
If you have a suggestion for Mama Likes, please contact the writer at
holler@thelouisvillepaper.com.
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