Model train exhibit enchants visitors

Alida de Beer

Agroup of visiting model train enthusiasts held an exhibition at the Transport Museum in George at the long weekend, showcasing their grand collections of tiny trains to appreciative visitors. Their exhibition was aimed at raising awareness of the museum and promote the hobby. The museum formed the perfect backdrop for the two separate live tracks that they put up, the biggest measuring an impressive 22m x 6m and providing 150m of rail. The trains are duplicates of the real thing, right down to the smallest detail, complete with true-to-life sounds. Steam locomotives puffing steam and electrical engines rushing by with their long lines of passenger and goods carriages made for some fascinating viewing for children and adults alike.

The exhibitors were from as far as Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria. Some have been modelling for 40-odd years.

"We want to promote the hobby and would like to get more youngsters interested, also in the building of the model trains," said Mike Leppan, who brought his collection all the way from Cape Town.

According to David Cairns from Durban, interest in the hobby is not dwindling, but it has become a more adult hobby than in the past.

Photo: Alida de Beer See a video at www.georgeherald.comThe four exhibitors who shared their precious model train collections for viewing at the Transport Museum, from left: Carel Janse van Rensburg and Willie Fourie, both from Pretoria, David Cairns from Durban and Mike Leppan from Cape Town.