Gallery

Some hobbyists attribute the recent rebirth of interest in model railroading in this generation to the popularity of the "Polar Express" book and movie and to the PBS TV series, "Thomas and His Friends." The magic seemed to work for the Lone Star Hi-Railers Train Club (located in the Grapevine, Texas, area) when the famous little steamers from the Isle of Sodor came to town - in two sizes - for a Day Out with Thomas. A mother points out the action on the layout to her son as two freight trains prepare to pass. The Lone Star Hi-Railers have about 30 members; one-third of them are also LCCA members.

James and Percy pass each other on the layout. Families attended the Day Out with Thomas event in Grapevine, Texas, on the weekends of March 28th-30th and April 4th-6th.

The full-size, "real" Thomas the Tank Engine temporarily took over the "job" of the regular Grapevine Railroad steam engine, known as Puffy, for the two-weekend event. Thomas is shown at the ready and eager to give hundreds of children and adults a ride from the Grapevine train depot.

A young visitor watches Percy as he chugs around the 12x28-feet modular layout. The Percy, Thomas, James, and Diesel toy train locomotives were donated by Lionel LLC. These "good engines" ran on the club layout along with model trains brought to the event by club members.

A model train hobbyist demonstrates to eager junior engineers how to use the Lionel CAB-1 controller to operate one of the seven trains running simultaneously on the club's O-gauge modular layout.