It could be a choo-choo for you kind of Father's Day Weekend in East County.
The RealRail model railroad club is hosting special event at its RealRail Center and Model Railroad Store, 4908 Lena Road, Unit 101, Bradenton, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 14-15.
The event also doubles as the 50th anniversary celebration for the club, which formerly was known as the Sarasota Model Railroad Club when it was founded in 1975. Its first home was at 1944 Main St., Sarasota, where the Main Bar is located now.
The club will have trains running in both the O and HO scale layouts. Children can build an HO scale railroad car and take it home for free, and there will be refreshments and special deals on model trains.
President Allen Novak has been a member of the club for 47 years and he is hoping that the special event will prompt people to come to the Lena Road location, where the club has been about 18 months. They are hoping to attract new members along with getting more people interested in model railroading.
RealRail President Allen Novak and club member Doug Neumann work on the O Scale train layout that will be available during the club's special event June 14-15.
Photo by Jay Heater
President Allen Novak has been a member of the club for 47 years.
Photo by Jay Heater
Model railroading includes much more than just trains and track.
Photo by Jay Heater
RealRail operates the Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida at 4908 Lena Road, Unit 101, Bradenton.
Photo by Jay Heater
The RealRail Center and Model Railroad Store is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Photo by Jay Heater
Even miniature buildings in a model railroad layout need advertising.
Photo by Jay Heater
RealRail club member Robert Lumbrano has been working with HO scale trains since 1965.
Photo by Jay Heater
RealRail member John Schmidle enjoys himself as he gets an HO layout ready for the 50th anniversary celebration.
Photo by Jay Heater
RealRail's store specializes in selling used model railroad equipment.
Photo by Jay Heater
The O Scale trains are twice of the size of the HO Scale.
Photo by Jay Heater
Keeping with the theme of the area, Sarasota trains used to move the circus.
Photo by Jay Heater
And when the model trains stop, the people can board the miniature airplane.
Jay Heater is the managing editor of the East County Observer. Overall, he has been in the business more than 41 years, 26 spent at the Contra Costa Times in the San Francisco Bay area as a sportswriter covering college football and basketball, boxing and horse racing.
