Collector's dream ride

Toy Train Operating Society displays model locomotives

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There's something about toy trains -- recollections of riding the rails, nostalgic memories of a childhood past, a realistic object shrunk to miniature proportions -- that brings out the kid in a person regardless of their age.

That was the case April 8 at the Nevada State Railroad Museum as members of the Toy Train Operating Society (TTOS) offered scale model-sized locomotives, coal tenders, boxcars and cabooses for youthful eyes and adult wallets along with model trains that choo-chooed their way around a layout that captivated everyone, especially the older kids.

"I've liked them ever since I was a little kid," said 45-year-old Doug Echler, vice president of the TTOS Silver State division. "It's a great hobby. I got my first train set when I was 2 years old. I even still have all my original engines, all 49 of them, since I was a kid."

According to Bill Arndt, president of the Silver State division, the small trains date back to the mid-1800s when they were push trains made out of cast iron and later evolved into trains with wind-up mechanisms to make them go.

"It was Joshua Lionel Cowen -- that's where the famous name, Lionel, comes from -- who first made die cast trains, but with the coming of electricity, around the turn of the century he then started putting motors in them," he said. "After that, there were a number of manufacturers, but Lionel and American Flyer had the biggest market share, with Lionel having 80 percent to 85 percent. Something to keep in mind is that all trains manufactured before World War II were made out of metal. It wasn't until after the war that they started using plastic. In fact, Lionel is making (locomotive) reproductions (out of metal) today from the same dies they were using in 1954. It's just that now they have electronics inside instead of a motor."

Arndt said as a young adult he got away from enjoying his trains because he had other interests but now, in later life, has turned to toy trains as a hobby because conditions have changed.

"I had trains when I was a little kid," said the train buff, who is a Bureau of Reclamation engineer. "I was 2 years old when I got my American Flyer, but I got out of trains when I was 18 and went to college. Now I've bought all the trains I didn't have as a kid because now I can afford them."

Like any hobby, it can take a sizeable investment to get off the ground and toy trains are no exception.

A few hundred dollars can get you started, but it's more likely after the necessities and accessories -- a locomotive, some box cars, a tanker car, a caboose and other cars to give the set some diversity and, of course, the trackage, the train station, the post office, the switches and maybe a crossover -- are added on, it'll be more like the thousands of dollars.

"Our daughter Crystal has a girl's train set, it's a pink set, that cost $1,700, which sounds like a lot, but it's a good investment," said Velaine Arndt, Bill's wife, who is the division's treasurer. "I told her that in 10 years when she goes to college she can sell her trains and she'll have enough money for college. She likes to play with them all afternoon. It's a lot better than sitting in front of the TV or playing those games."

In addition to the actual train pieces having significant values, just like stamps or coins, the boxes the trains come in are a valuable commodity as well.

"The box is definitely worth some money because the original packaging adds more value to it," Velaine said as she pointed out one of the cars. "This caboose would sell for anywhere from $25 to $40, but the box adds $10 more. And if it had all the flaps on it, it would be worth even more. My husband would buy just the box because it's a Lionel box."

The society will be back in the railroad museum's maintenance barn, 600 Yucca St., on May 13 and June 10, starting at 10 a.m.

The group then will take a summer hiatus. "It gets awful hot in here in the summer and the plastic starts to melt at 94 degrees," Bill said. But the group has proposed Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 2 and 3 as exhibition dates later in the year.

When it comes to explaining why trains are embraced in the Arndt household, Velaine and Bill have two answers.

"They keep him home and out of the bars," Velaine said, while Bill noted that, "It's supposed to be fun. That's what it's all about."