Members of the Southern Indiana Model Railroad Association have been showcasing their hobby during the holidays for more than a dozen years.

The club’s annual display of model trains is designed to promote model railroading to the young by the young at heart.

“Most of us are in our late 60s or early 70s,” club President Bob Bicknell said during the show Saturday at the Jackson County Public Library in Seymour.

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“We’re always looking for new members. We would love to have them,” he said. “We want to get younger people interested in the hobby.”

He said model railroading is something anyone can do at any age.

“I didn’t get back into it until I was in my 60s,” he said.

Club members have been organizing the model railroad show for the holidays since 2005, the year the association was founded. The club’s purpose then and now is to promote railroading in and around Seymour. They do it through events such as the holiday exhibit and other special exhibits.

Bicknell said the holiday display has become a poplar holiday event. The club gives away a model train during the event, which is a big draw.

“We’ve brought in way over 100 people already,” he said Saturday afternoon.

One of those was 6-year-old Levi Miller of Crothersville.

“He loves trains and wants to be a train driver when he gets older,” Leslie Miller said.

She said they also attended the train display a year ago after hearing about it while visiting the Crothersville Library.

“He looks forward to it,” Leslie said.

Levi said his favorite part of model railroad displays is the rails.

Billie Richardson of Seymour and her granddaughters, Karaline Richardson, 6, and Audrey Richardson, 4, also visited the display for the second year in a row.

“We enjoy it very much,” Billie said. “It’s a nice display. They like trains, and they watching them.”

Mercer Blubaugh, who at 10 is the youngest member of the club, said model railroading is a lot of fun, and becoming an engineer might be in his future.

“When I was at Kids Fest, I won a train set,” the Crothersville youth said. “After two years, I met Bob (Bicknell) again at McDonald’s. I stopped and talked to him.”

He then joined the club.

Maisy Short, 3, of Seymour also visited the show with her mother, Jennifer Short, and other family members.

“We came last year,” Jennifer said. “I don’t know if she remembers, but she was really excited when I told her there were trains.”

Jennifer said she and her daughter visit the library often because there’s always plenty going on there.

Geri Luebbers of Brownstown also brought her children, Mary Luebbers, 3, Jordan Luebbers, 8, Jenna Luebbers, 7, Isaac Luebbers, 5, Averi Luebbers, 10, and Hannah Luebbers, 12, to the display.

The model railroad displays are just something all of her children like to see, Geri said.

The club, which has about 20 active members, typically sets up a portable HO train display along with displays of N gauge and O gauge model trains during the show.

The club also has a permanent HO display and three N gauge displays in the basement of Trinity United Methodist Church in Seymour, where club members gather every Thursday night to talk model railroading and work on their layouts.

The traveling HO display includes four sets of two modules each owned and maintained by different club members. The two modules at each end are owned and maintained by the club.

“We try to change them around each year,” Bicknell said of the modules owned by club members.

The only issue with model railroading is money because it doesn’t matter what type of gauge a person decides to go with, it will be expensive, he said.

“I’ve have O gauge, N gauge and Z scale,” he said. “It (the Z scale) is smaller than the N.”

Model railroading has changed over the years because of new technologies.

In the past, model railroaders had to control their trains from a central location, but they can now be controlled by handheld remotes capable of handling several trains at a time.

But two trains is about all you can handle to keep track of without crashing, he said.

“In the old days, you put a track on the floor, threw it together and let it run, Bicknell said.

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What: Southern Indiana Model Railroad Association

Purpose: To promote model railroading in and around Seymour

Founded: 2005

Meets: 7 to 9 p.m. every Thursday

Where: Basement of Trinity United Methodist Church, 333 S. Chestnut St., Seymour

President: Bob Bicknell

Contact: 812-523-3173

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