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Model train show at Strawberry Fest

The Strawberry Fest Model Railroad Show will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17, at the Waupaca Recreation Center.

A dozen clubs will display their model railroads. Children can ride the train with Engineer Ted, switch a model train with Conductor Carlson, play with Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends from Chuggington Station; and watch the Lego Train zoom around a Lego World.

Model railroaders can discuss current projects with other enthusiasts, shop the vendor and swap tables and visit the demonstration tables to watch as different modelers build or repair engines, train cars and buildings.

The event also includes a model contest for trains to cars, trucks, ships, buildings and trees, and even Lego models for youths. For more information on the contest, go to www.wamrltd.com.

Mike Kirk and the Waupaca Historical Society will host an open house at the Waupaca depot. A Model T depot hack that carried luggage to the hotels and a baggage car from the Waupaca Electric Railroad will be on display.

The Waupaca Area Model Railroaders began in 1964 in a vacated storage room and was incorporated as a non-profit educational organization in the late 1980s. The group promotes model railroading and tmembers teach skills in layout construction, wiring and controls, scenery and operation.

In 1988 the club began building a modular portable layout, which has grown to 22-feet by 52-feet and has its own trailer for storing and transporting. It will be at the Strawberry Fest show. It has also run at National Model Railroad Association’s National Convention in Denver and at cities throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The club has also been active in the preservation of the railroad history. The restored Waupaca Electric Railway baggage car, and its pictorial history have been displayed at many community events. A historical booklet about the Electric Railway was also published. The club has assisted in the restoration of an early 1900s Duluth, Messabe & Iron Range caboose, and some members are involved with the depot restoration.

For more information on the club or the Strawberry Fest Train Show, contact Dennis Cook at 824-2045 or e-mail him at [email protected].

Hours for the Strawberry Fest Model Railroad Show are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m, to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 16-17. The Waupaca Recreation Center is located at the intersection of School State and Badger streets.

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