HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-04-26, Page 23I' 11'
114th year—No. 17
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Thursday, Apri!26, 1979
Clinton NewsRecord
second section
Varna model railroad would .make any kid envious
by Shelley McPhee
Many retired men enjoy some sort of
hobby. Gardening, stamp collecting,
carpentry, woodworking golfing and
birdwatching are a few of the more
popular interests that fill the hours of
many.
Jim Murray of Varna is interested in
gardening and carpentry work, but unlike
most, Jim is obsessed with a rather
unusual hobby. Perhaps he is actually
going' through his second childhood, for
this 69 year old man spends hours in the
basement of his home playing with model
trains.
Jim is not concerned that his hobby
might be considered a little unusual, or
that he might be actually having
psychological regressions.
Jim doesn't actually play with the
trains, he constructs them. The small
scale engines, replicas of real trains,wind
their way on a number of tracks through
the imaginary town of Oakdale. The town
is set in a mountain valley next to the
ocean and the municipality is filled with a
variety of buildings, motor vehicles and
tiny figures of people.
The 40 foot creation, complete with
electricity in the buildings fills a major
portion of the basement and is hard to
resist. It has captured the attention of
many, from the furnace repairman, neigh-
boring children to adult .men and women.
"The fathers like it more than the kids
do," Jim's wife Madelaine teased.
It's easy to see why the adults like the
trains more than the children. With help
from Allan "Nicky" Barnett from
Goderich, the two have developed a
complex system.
"He's a genius," Jim claimed about his
friend of many years.
Nicky who was also involved in model
railroading a few yearsago has done all
the electrical work on Jim's display.
Along with the buildings and street lights
which light up, Nicky plans to make the
lumber mill and bridge lifts operational.
As well, he built all the power tran-
sformers for the system.
Oakdale comes to life with a few flicks of
the switches on a master control..panel.
Twelve volts of power runs the track which
has four operational trains and lighting is
supplied from six to 16 volts of power.
"We don't notice any difference in the
hydro bill," Jim noted.
It is doubtful that even if the Murray's
hydro bill was higher, Jim would abandon
his trains. Jim has enthusiastically been
following his hobby for four years now, and
has devoted many hours and money to the
trains.
The model train "country" of Jim Murray features exquisite detail right down to the trees
and earth, people, and even animals. Built on the "HO" scale, the scale model even
features realistic Mountain ranges.(News-Record photo)
This scale model 6200 steam engine that used to run the Canadian National Railways
lines, is just one of a dozen trains Jim Murray has in his Varna basement. tie also has a
famed Flying Scotsman rhplica, imported from Britain.(News-Record photo)^
"It's beyond a fascination for me now,"
he admitted. Now I just want to improve
on it."
"Where I was raised in Scotland there's
a lot of trains so I've always been in-
terested in them" he explained.
Despite Jim's interest in model trains, it
was actually' his grandchildren and great
grandchildren.who got the .interest going.
With 16 grandchildren and 3 great grand-
children, who is grandfather to argue. -
A few years ago the children were given
a train set for Christmas and within a
couple of weeks they were tired of their
new toy and asked grandfather to build a
bigger one.
"It started out just for the kids, but it
was just a train going around and around
with no buildings," Jim explained.
Jim being a carpenter by trade and an
energetic man took on the task of
enhancing the model train track, despite
severe rheumatism in his hands and back
problems.
"He kind of works around it," Madelaine
explained. "Sometimes he isn't able to do
too much." "This is never comrIeted, I always see
The work he has done is fascinating to changes but I'm limited as far as ex -
look at. He has constructed many small pansion goes," he added.
scale buildings when he couldn't find what m Already the set-up and work bench take
he was looking for. With help from up most of Murray's small basemept,.. This
Christmas and birthday presents from his sometimes makes work a little awkward
grandchildren, Oakdale now features but Jim says that getting to the back of the
hotels, homes, churches, complete with a 13 foot display, which rests against a wall
wedding party, garages, a newspaper is a "military secret."
office, the lumber yard, and of course a The set- up, which has 14 engines to
railway station to name a few. Two ships, choose from, is the biggest in the area.
a destroyer and a battleship, sit in the Yet, railroading clubs do not have the
harbour. Cars, busest trucks and people benefit of Jim's expertise.
complete the municipal setting. A wrecker A perfectionist, he wants to make sure
is complete with a crushed car in tow. everything is in working order before he
"There's a lot of people's ideas behind joins the Model Railroad Association, an
this," Jim said modestly. international group or the model club in
The mountain scenery built from paper Goderich.
mache is dotted with wildlife figurines and "This is supposed to be for pure
a farm is complete with horses and cattle. pleasure," Jim explained.
"The scenery's just,as important as the "But it's -beyond a toy now," Madelaine
trains themselves," Jim stressed. added.
i:,i<z<v;Yh!:c
This is one of the several railroad stations Jim Murray has built, and is among the dozens
of buildings in the set-up, which covers half of his basement. The whole set-up is done in
such fine detail, that there is even glass in the windows, and all the buildings have lights
inside that work. (News -Record photo)
Jim Murray of Varna has one of the biggest and most accurate model trols of the "country," which is complete with cities, towns, farms
train Set-ups in Huron county. Mr. Murray is shown here at the con- lakes, and even mountains.(News-Record photo) '