Model Train enthusiasts gather at Museum Complex

Local residents turned out in significant numbers for a Model Railroad show at the Joplin Museum Complex in Schifferdecker Park Saturday.. A wide variety of model trains were on display some set amid backgrounds depicting early Baxter Springs and Webb City.

Tri State Model Railroad spokesman Ned Mayes says people get involved in the hobby for several reasons.

“A lot of people like the nostalgia,” Mayes says. “They like to run a train they remember seeing when they were a child like the Southern Belle that came through Joplin. So there are a lot of aspects to this hobby.

He says people like the Lionel brand trains that were popular in the 1950s and 60s but modern technology has created many additional features in the world of modern railroading.

Mayes says model railroad enthusiasts have included singers Frank Sinatra, Neil Young and Rod Stewart. The event in Joplin attracted people of all ages.