TAYLOR MASCETTA: If you’re stopping by the New York State Fairgrounds this weekend, you’re on the right track.The Great New York State Model Train Fair is back for its 48th year. It opens tomorrow morning at 10. I got a personal welcome from longtime participant, Peter Woodward.
PETER WOODWARD: We have a wide variety of exhibitors here on tap, variety of model train exhibits, and history of the model railroad industry and displays.
TAYLOR MASCETTA: A lot of the models here depict landmarks in Syracuse and the world beyond. There are vendors and models galore, with train-lovers getting ready for the big day. Woodward has enjoyed train modeling since the age of fourteen. He takes pride in the little locomotive.
PETER WOODWARD: We’re actually sending a signal to the rails to a chip inside the locomotive. And it responds to the commands. Now, I’m going to change directions, and it’s going to go forward.
TAYLOR MASCETTA: Phillip Edwards is the president of Central New York’s chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. He emphasized the importance of hosting an event like this.
PHILLIP EDWARDS: I want people to feel that they experienced a part of the hobby that they didn’t know, maybe they saw something or learned something. This is an educational event more than anything.
TAYLOR MASCETTA: The Model Train Fair leaves the station Sunday afternoon. In Syracuse, I’m Taylor Mascetta, N-C-C News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y.(NCC News) – All aboard!
The Great New York State Model Train Fair returned for its 48th year at the New York State Fairgrounds’ Exhibition Center.
Longtime participant Peter Woodward gave me a personal welcome upon arrival. “We have a wide variety of exhibitors here on tap,” he said. “And a variety of model train exhibits, and the history of the model railroad industry and displays.”
Woodward has collected trains since the age of 14. He takes a lot of pride in his little locomotives, fully understanding how each of them work.
“We actually send a signal to the rails to a chip inside the locomotive,” he said. “It responds to the commands. Now, I can change directions, and then it goes to go forward.”
The models themselves depict a wide variety of both worldwide and Syracuse landmarks. Upon closer look, the details in the models show how much participants care about their trains. One model created a memorial to remember a priest. Another reimagined a local bridge in Liverpool, known for countless truck accidents. There was even a life-sized to train available for rides!
Phillip Edwards serves as the president of the Central New York branch of the National Railway Historical Society. To him, the fair represents what collecting these trains all about.
“I want people to feel that they experienced a part of the hobby that they didn’t know,” he said. “Maybe they saw something or learned something. This is an educational event more than anything.”
The model train fair lasted through the weekend before leaving the station.
