Model train club reopens in new home

There are skiers traveling up a lift, firefighters rescuing a cat from a tree and workers unloading freight at the docks, each under an inch tall.

In perfect proportion is the intricate scenery surrounding them, full of mountains, rivers, city buildings and farm houses, and the tiny trains traveling through the settings.

A host of miniature trains and detailed corresponding backdrops will be on display this weekend at the Augusta County Model Railroad Club’s new location next to Little Caesars on Broad Street in Waynesboro.

“We hope we get a lot of support,” said Jerry Walterreit, a club member. “We’re a paying a bit more for this place.”

The club occupies the space rent-free, as they did in their last location next to Kroger on Arch Avenue, but is responsible for utilities and a portion of the shopping center’s maintenance.

Allowing free admission is important to the club, Jack Ward, a past club president, said.

“There’s no way you can tell a kid who sees a training running that he can’t come and look,” he said. “We are sort of fishing around for more donations than in the past because we’re going to need more money.”

The club receives about 2,000 visitors a year, mostly between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the trains are on display every weekend. The club opens its doors the last Saturday of each month during the “off season,” Ward said.

“To see the little boys and girls come here and their eyes bug out of their heads to see all the trains and scenes makes it all worthwhile,” Walterreit said. “With some, their parents have to drag them out kicking and screaming after a few hours. They’ve got the bug, the train bug as we call it.”

Walterreit remembers fondly catching the bug in childhood.

“Like everyone else here, I got a train set from my parents when I was nine,” he said. “I still have it.”

Walterreit’s collection has grown to include more than 300 freight cars and more than 30 engines.

Norm Scott, a newer club member, said he also enjoys the social outlet the group provides.

“There’s a comradery among the guys,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from them, like how to do water effects and a lot of little things on wiring. It’s a lot of fun and it’s great to meet others who enjoy it too.”

Choosing Waynesboro

When scouting out a new location for the club, there was no question it had to be in Waynesboro, Ward said.

“Waynesboro has always been really generous to us,” he said.

In order to keep membership dues low and allow free admission to view the miniature trains, the club operates on a small budget funded mostly through donations. Throughout the years, the club has occupied numerous rent-free spaces in the area, Ward said.

“The locations here in Waynesboro have always been much nicer than elsewhere,” he said.

Those have included the old Waynesboro Outlet Village and a space next to Kroger on Arch Avenue. With Kroger’s decision to demolish the storefront to build a new gas station and pharmacy drive-thru, the club sought out a new home.

The new location next to Little Caesar’s at the corner of Broad Street and North Poplar Avenue was just what the club was hoping for, Ward said.

“We didn’t have to do a thing,” he said. “It was already painted and everything.”

The generosity of a Waynesboro business, Central Virginia Rental, made the move much easier for the club, Ward said.

“They loaned us a truck, so we could move several modules at once,” he said. “That saved us a lot of time and made the transition much smoother.”