Big Train Show celebrates 10th year

JOHNSON CITY — Henry Johnson founded the region's first railroad station in the 1850s. Johnson City became host to three railroads within decades, pushing the town into prominence. Over 150 years later, it's still full steam ahead for the city created by trains. The Big Train Show celebrated its 10th year this weekend at the East Tennessee State University Ballad Health Athletic Center. The two-day event hosted 15,000 square feet of model trains, 72 vendors and more than a thousand attendees. It was presented by the Johnson City Railroad Experience and the Mountain Empire Model Railroaders. "Everybody is connected by a railroad some way," said Coordinator Scott Stodola. "And I think that's what makes this area perfect for a train show." More people in the region have become involved in the model train community over the past decade, Stodola added. That interest has also been influenced by the Johnson City Railroad Experience's move from the ETSU campus to downtown, which has boosted the museum's traffic. "They're not only seeing train fronts, but they're learning the history of Johnson City," Stodola said. This year's show featured organizations from Northeast Tennessee and beyond, including the Tennessee T-Trak Associates, the Sipping & Switching Society of North Carolina and other vendors from across the nation. Models depicted live steam trains, local railroad cars, scenes from the Virginia Creeper railroad and more. Big Train Show Vendor David Biggerstaff operates a model steam locomotive that runs on alcohol. JOY MAZUR/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Sipping & Switching Society Member Glen Frix brought his model of North Carolina State University. Frix, who said he can't remember ever not having a train set, got back into models after college. He enjoys building the modules and scenery — and how the group respects each other's work. "I'm playing with my trains," he said. "You're never too old to play with trains." Stodola said many people revisit the hobby later in life to relive a part of their childhood. Hobbyists create landscapes in miniature, sometimes drawing from historical or personal references to paint a realistic scene. JOY MAZUR/SIX RIVERS MEDIA "You might see a scene and it'll depict something, maybe from their childhood or an area that they grew up in, or maybe just an area that they wish they grew up in," Stodola said. "If you've got a picture in your mind, you can make it in miniature." Stodola hopes attendees experienced what it's like to not only dream, but recover a passion that was lost. "I think that's huge, because in today's world, it's fast," he said. "This is one of those hobbies where you're not just going to be on your phone and an iPad, sitting in your bedroom. You're going to be active." Participants set up tracks over 15,000 square feet of space. "When [attendees] walk into the mini-dome, the first thing they see is this huge layout," Big Train Show Coordinator Scott Stodola said. "It draws their attention." JOY MAZUR/SIX RIVERS MEDIA