Model railroad club announces holiday open houses

SANDUSKY — The trains are about to come down the track again at the Eerie & Mad River Model Railroad Club. The longtime club's holiday tradition returns early next month when the group hosts two open houses to show off its elaborate model train setup to the public. The two open houses, both on a Saturday, will be from noon to 4 p.m. at 1309 N. Depot St., in Sandusky, not far from the city's Amtrak train station. • On Dec. 2, it will show off trains pulled by steam locomotives • On Dec. 9, it will feature trains with the club's steam locomotives. The club is located Both events are free, and members of the club will be on hand to answer any questions. They will also welcome anyone who wants to join the club and continue the work to make the display even better. Now 70 years old, the club has 10 members. At one point, it was down to just two. The club has been located at various places in Sandusky over the years but has been at its current location, on North Depot Street, since 2000. Visitors will be able to admire trains running down more than 1,000 feet of track and passing through elaborate displays of towns, a steel mill, a mining camp, a lumberyard and other vistas of days gone by. Visitors who look at the tiny figures of people in the display and all of the other details will be able to glimpse stories, said Mike Kish, president of the club. He pointed to a place near one railroad track showing a man being chased up a tree by a bear with two bear cubs nearby. Those who look closely at the biggest town in the display, they'll see a truck carrying copies of the Daily Planet newspaper — Clark Kent's employer — and a business advertising go-go girls. "Each little space hopefully tells a story," Kish said. Club members also can explain how they add to the scenery, installing trees and buildings and how they've automated switching of some of the tracks by using a computer. Members likely to be in attendance during the open houses include Kish and two officers who are both named Robert Butler: Robert W. Butler, the club's secretary, and Robert "One Arm" Butler, the club's treasurer. "One Arm" Butler actually still has both of his arms, but he has a bad shoulder, and the club had to come up with a nickname to tell the two apart in conversation.