Kenny took James to his first model train show on Saturday!  They had a great time and a photographer from the local newspaper even showed up.  James’s photo made it in!

James Knapp gets the chance to run a train on his own at the TECO Model Train Show at the Freedom Financial Services Expo Center on Sunday. Photo credit: JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE

(Article quoted for posterity. Read the original Here.)
THE GAZETTE
MATT STEINER

Brandon Rogers paused for just a moment.

The 13-year-old briefly took a break from his hard work rebuilding a section of scenery on a nearly 50-feet of model train track Sunday at the Freedom Financial Services Expo Center in Colorado Springs. The member of Youth in Model Railroading couldn’t help but smile when asked what he likes about his hobby of choice.

“It’s fun,” he said before turning back to his landscape artwork.

Train Expo Colorado hosted the Model Train Show and Swap Meet Saturday and Sunday at 3650 N. Nevada Ave. It was the youth organization, aimed at teaching railroading to anyone 8 to 18 years old, that really benefited from the event.

Roy Thompson, executive director of Train Expo Colorado, said “about half” of the money from the show would go directly to the kids to buy materials for their train displays.

Justin Leach, a 10-year-old who has been building model railoads since he was 6, said setting up the tracks and building the landscapes is the best part of the hobby.

“You get to create cool scenes,” said Leach, who bragged about his 4-foot by 8-foot railroad he made at his Colorado Springs home. “You get to express yourself.”

The Expo Center had its first Train Expo Colorado show in December and has joined forces with the organization that will bring four shows a year. The next will be in mid September.

“We’re going to be here forever,” said Thompson, who said the group grew tired of venturing to Denver for train events.

Thompson, who has been model railroading since the 1950s, and Youth in Model Railroading president Gerry Drewes hope the local exposure will help draw more Colorado Springs kids to the pastime.

The pair said kids not only have fun, but learn creative skills like carpentry and painting that are valuable in other areas of life.

“We teach them everything we know about model railroading,” said Drewes, who began the hobby in 1961.

“But we’re not babysitters,” he said.

Drewes said there’s a big focus on bringing kids and parents together. He said youngsters are encouraged to seek help from mom and dad while working on home projects.

“We help make real parents out of the parents,” Drewes said.