Ravenous dinosaurs, supersonic jets and out-of-this-world space capsules will be among the new additions showcased in Moore Museum’s model train room on July 3 as part of the museum’s first model train event in nearly three years.
Model train enthusiasts will be able to absorb a wealth of fascinating information, examine new items added to the room’s numerous layouts, and observe several old rail-related artifacts at the event, which takes place between 1 pm and 4 pm
For those interested in all things Mesozoic, one of the train room’s new layouts features a once placid model train community being invaded by a herd of (miniature) dinosaurs. Animated, roaring dinosaurs lie near the town’s valley, little fossils can be found everywhere while some of the more pro-active dinos can be found clinging on to one of two model trains featured in the display.
The dinosaur theme was inspired by a recent trip to a model train show, said train room volunteer Tom Walter.
“I was at a train show with a couple of buddies, and some (dinosaur-themed items) were on sale. And John, a guy from Port Huron, said ‘the kids would love that’,” he said. “After that the inspiration came to me and I started going into dollar stores looking for little dinosaurs.
“I think that was in October before the pandemic, and I just went berserk with the dinosaur stuff and bought fossils and miniature dinosaurs and everything I could lay my hands on,” Walter said with a smile.
Visitors to the July 3 event will also be able to drive the ‘Dino Roar’ train, Walter said.
Another new layout set to be unveiled at the event is a three-level, ornately-built display featuring an aerospace/aviation theme that was inspired both by a recent donation to the museum as well as Canada’s own Avro Arrow, Walter said.
Featuring model planes, including a CF 104 Starfighter jet, a model train miniature missile launching car as well as radars, helicopters and all manner of space-themed vehicles, many of the items that are part of this display came from a donation given to the museum a few years ago.
“In 2019 someone donated six boxes of Lionel trains that were in an attic since the 1950s. It came with a base that was all rusty, it was in rough shape … but it was like Christmas getting those boxes,” Walter said. “There was a rocket launcher and a rocket car … things we didn’t have in the museum. And they come from a very interesting time.
“What happened was 1953 was the top year for Lionel Trains in terms of sales. Then the space race started and the Cold War was going on, Lionel was losing market share, so they decided to tap into these new fads,” he continued.
“So what they did was produce rockets and missiles that actually fired – they came with an exploding boxcar it was held together with a spring and once the missile hit it, it actually came apart, they had all kinds of this stuff like that. So when we got the donation I thought, ‘that’s great, let’s bring some Canadiana into it’. We had some lovely donations of Canadian rolling stock, so I thought let’s go with the Avro Arrow, which I’ve always been interested in, so there’s a bit of a condensed history of the Avro Arrow in this display.”
Visitors can also feast their eyes on the museums Lionel Model Train exhibit, examine the model train room’s collection of memorabilia, take a gander at displays and layouts set up by guest model railroaders and, for younger visitors, participate in some children’s activities.
Moore Museum’s model train event runs from 1 to 4 pm on July 3. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children, and the purchase of admission also allows participants to visit the other 12 buildings on the museum site.
Moore Museum is located at 94 Moore Line in Mooretown. For more information, visit www.mooremuseum.com or call 519-867-2020.