Model trains on display at library
By Jennifer Archibald Staff writer

Locomotives at the library The close-up model is a Chinese 2-8-2 steam locomotive, circa 1980. It is on display, along with other train models, at the Flora-Monroe Public Library. One of the exhibitors is Doug Howard. He is shown holding a model of a one-of-a-kind Swiss locomotive from 2003. It was designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the German model train manufacturer, Marklin. Comet photos by Jennifer Archibald

Model trains are on display at the Flora-Monroe Public Library as part of National Model Railroad Month.

The exhibit is courtesy of collectors Doug Howard and Kathy Lantz of Flora, with additional items provided by Hawkins Rail Service of Lafayette and The Train Exchange in Kokomo.

Doug has been involved with model railroading for 50 years. He said for him, the hobby has entailed reading, collecting, and building. He is a life member of the National Model Railroad Association, and he and Kathy recently joined the Mid-West Model Railroad Club. He said what he likes best about the hobby is talking about it with other enthusiasts.

Doug grew up in Oregon and favors the Southern Pacific Railroad. Kathy grew up in Flora and likes the Pennsylvania Railroad. She also has an interest in 19th Century railroads.

Doug is quite knowledgeable about railways outside the U.S. He said this is partly because he spent time in other countries during his 20-year Air Force career.

"I saw railroads in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Great Britain, and collected models from most of those countries," he said.

The library display includes HO scale locomotives and railcars representing railroads inside and outside the U.S., as well as some HO scale buildings and a number of model railroad magazines. Doug said most of the models represent 20th century and early 21st century trains.

One of Doug's and Kathy's favorite trains is Doug's reproduction of the classic "Rheingold" passenger train.

"This purple-and-cream legendary express operated between Basel, Switzerland, and Hook of Holland, Netherlands, between the two World Wars," Doug said.

His Rheingold took first place in a popular-vote contest during a recent model railroad mini-meet in Plainfield. It is one of those on display at the library.

Another unique item on display is a model of a Russian railcar from the 1950s to 1960s. Doug purchased it from a one-man manufacturer in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Also exhibited is a rare model of an American locomotive that was built in Brazil for the Argentine Railroad.

One of Kathy's favorites, which can be seen at the library, is a model of one of the two locomotives that met at Promontory, Utah, in 1869, establishing the country's first transcontinental railroad. The model is of the Union Pacific locomotive "119."

Some of the other trains represented are from the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads, and German and Swiss locomotives from the 1920s and 1930s.

Doug likes sharing his hobby so much that he went all the way to Switzerland in 2002 to attend the convention of the American Model Railroaders of Switzerland Society. Attending were people from all over Europe who are modelers of North American railroads. Doug said he was the only one there from the United States.

When the Swiss society found out he was coming, he was asked to be the guest of honor and to show slides. He said his slide presentation was of narrow gauge models from the Far West and from the Baldwin Locomotive Co. at Philadelphia.

Doug said he has downsized his collection quite a bit - just keeping his favorites. He moved to Flora in August, and because of his interest in model railroading, Kathy has taken up the hobby, too. They are in the process of setting up a model railroad in their home. Doug said it will be a modular (convertible) railroad. They each have their own workbenches for building and painting. Kathy intends to set up Flora in the 1950s, when the Pennsylvania passenger train went through town. Doug's setting will be the West Coast and the Southern Pacific Railroad. They say it will probably take two years to complete.

Doug said the library director, Melissa Bishop, indicated that the model train display probably will extend into December, and if so, he and Kathy plan to change it for the second month.

He said anyone who would like to talk to him about the display or about model railroading can email him at hdouglas.doug@gmail.com.