A pair of HO scale model train engines race past a still-smoking, fire blackened building in Dale Clemons’ expertly detailed layout at his Lexington home (above). Incredible attention to detail (below) is obvious in the front of the “burning” model buildings.

MODEL RAILROADING—
Adult Style

I treasure fond memories of model trains being an enchanting part of my youthful Christmas holidays.

About the time my father-Santa went to bed early Christmas morning I would be hurling down the steps to be sure ole Mr. Kringle had returned my toy railroad to our living room out on N. Benton St.

Its short legged 4 x 8 foot platform would always be there, supporting the Lionel trains with the gaily decorated tree right smack in the middle of things.

As I began to ponder this blog story I was delighted to meet veteran Mansfield city fireman Dale Clemons who oozes the enjoyment of my youth with his exquisitely detailed train layout of that exact same size.

For me it was raw, hair tingling magic way back then. For Dale it is “Sanity time.”

He can escape the bone bruising challenges of his profession there in his warm basement and wrestle with yet another small detail of his Lilliputian-sized railroad town.

On one street corner of his layout is Rosemary’s German House, a restaurant honoring his mother-in-law. He almost molded it into a house of questionable repute but doubted she would be too pleased.

The day I visited a two-story commercial building in his layout was belching real smoke and being attended to by a squadron of miniature firefighters while trains roared by on the nearby main line through town.

The smoke was coming from a carefully hand-crafted concoction hidden below his layout. The authenticity of his firemen’s attack on the blaze was from his 19 years of service in the real business of fire fighting.

Meanwhile, back at the model firehouse the stand-by squad of miniature firemen was enjoying a game of Corn Hole on Dale’s hand-crafted game boxes and tossing bags while just down the street things were normal at the town’s very-authentic, scratch-built greenhouse.

Dale started this layout just a year ago and hopes to double its size soon. His town has 30 plus buildings and a subway that goes somewhere. It has miles of fishing-line electrical wires whose realism compels any visitor’s amazement.

“I’d guess I have a couple thousand dollars invested here,” Dale smiled. “Maybe a wee bit more” he whispered.

It’s not important for wives to hear of such details.

We joked about that wee bit of adult male philosophy as he returned his attention (right) to some tender-loving-care of an old engine...

...and I sat quietly for a moment in the swirl of pleasant memories.