Gifts of Lionel trains get model railroaders started

By Jim Bridges / Signals features writer

My hometown of Tullahoma, TN, was unique in several ways. For starters it is one of few towns in the world that shares its name with no other place. It began as a railroad camp and prospered because it was located on the main line of the former Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis (NC&StL;) railroad. Many freight and passenger trains passed through Tullahoma daily, sounding their whistles at every crossing. There was something special about a steam railroad locomotive whistle. I know because we lived within a block of the tracks at one time, but it could be heard all over town. When the first diesel engine came through, I remember how strange the whistle sounded, how different it was from the steam locomotives.

There's something fascinating about trains whether they be real ones or models. Like a lot of boys, I received Lionel trains as Christmas presents. But after graduating from high school the trains were put away. There is a group in Cumberland County that had much the same experience as me. The big difference is they carried their love of model trains into adulthood.

That group is the Crossville Model Railroading Club (CMRC), which boasts over 70 members. Several Lake Tansi Village residents are members including Dick Carmack, Dick Coxon, Mike Ferry, Lou Laforce, Bob Pluff, Joe Rummel and Tom and Aggie White.

CMRC maintains several layouts in a storefront in the Crossville Outlet Center located on Interstate Drive off Genesis Road. The equipment belongs primarily to individuals, but plans are to eventually have a full club-owned layout. Model railroaders can choose between several "scales" including O, HO, N, G, Z and narrow gauge equipment. Z is the smallest scale and G is the largest. Over 70 percent of modelers participate in HO, a smaller scale. Monthly meetings usually feature speakers who lead how-to clinics on building mountains, doing maintenance on engines and rolling stock, maintaining displays and making trees.

Regarding LTV residents in the club, Lou Laforce became interested when he received an O gauge train for Christmas in 1959. He still has some of that size equipment. The layout features two main lines with a spur and a grain store and a lumberyard with railroad cars for these businesses. He also has an HO (smaller gauge) layout. It features a two-track main line with a branch line to an upper town and a spur that dead ends at another town. Plans are to someday have G scale trains and equipment up and running in his yard. He says he likes to tinker with engines and rolling stock. This includes assembling, redesigning and repainting equipment. His wife Carol enjoys going to real railroad museums. This is known as "rail fanning" where people fan out all over the country and look at full-size engines, rolling stock and buildings. She likes to work with buildings and trees for Lou's layouts. Lou, who is retired from the U.S. Navy, has lived in several locations and set up his model trains in each one.

Joe Rummel became interested in model railroading in 1949 when he received a freight train for Christmas. The next year he found a Union Pacific passenger train under the tree. Both train sets were O gauge. He is presently working with HO gauge equipment. His layout is 9 x 14 and features three tracks. The internal part is multi-level for freight trains and will be based on a small Maryland town. It will include coal operations on dual levels with mining and processing areas and sidings for coal cars. The layout is still a work-in-progress due to other commitments.

Joe and wife Carol are members of St. Alfonsus Catholic Church where he serves as youth director. He retired from the Department of Defense and was a member of the intelligence community.

Another Tansi member of the CMRC is Tom White whose wife, Aggie, shares his interest in model trains and works with his layout. She also enjoys going to the display at the mall and interacting with visitors. Tom was introduced to model railroading when he received a Lionel train as a child. It was not until two years ago in Florida that he got the urge to get into model railroading. He bought a small set and brought it to their new home in Lake Tansi Village. His HO gauge layout has grown and covers 54 square feet in a horseshoe shape. The layout is patterned after the old Tennessee Central Railroad in general and the city of Crossville in particular. The station sign reads "Crossville" and the courthouse carries the date 1905. There are other businesses such as a lumberyard, coal facility, oil distributorship, church and a city square, all built mostly from kits. He has also fashioned mountains on the layout.

Tom is retired and formerly owned a restaurant in Bradenton, FL. Following that he was in management with a pest control company.

In a subsequent article we will feature the other LTV club members.

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