Has train show reached last stop?

Dozens of families flocked to the DuPage County Historical Museum for TrainFest on Saturday not knowing if budget cuts would make it one of the last.

With 2,000 feet of track, the event featured one of the largest model train displays per track in the country. There also were crafts, storytelling and toy trains.

Mike Ward brought his son from Minnesota to make sure he'd see the model trains and tracks that Mike's own father, Keith Ward of Elmhurst, has been working on for more than 40 years.

"We wanted to make sure we saw one of the last times," Mike Ward said.

Created by the DuPage County Society of Model Engineers, the setup is an authentic reproduction of the tracks in the county, although the group has added humorous touches to the scenery, including a small cow in a Cubs jersey and Thomas the Tank Engine from the children's TV show.

But county budget cuts have left the fate of not only the train set but the whole museum uncertain. The museum got $140,000 from the county in 2007 but might not receive any funding in 2008.

"As of now, we have a big goose egg in our budget item," DuPage County Historical Museum Association President Veronica Porter said.

The association is trying to become more revenue-based with memberships and hall rental so it can be self-sufficient. But making that transition will take several years. In the meantime, Porter would like at least enough money from the county to maintain the museum's 45,000 artifacts and photos.

She hoped Saturday's event would raise awareness of the funding crisis.

"I just think it's a treasure because of the artifacts that are very unique because they're countywide," she said.

The Society of Model Engineers usually runs all the trains on the third Saturday of each month, and Porter said they don't just appeal to children.

"You see that same look in brothers and sisters all the way up to grandma and grandpa," she said.

Bob Gilbert of Wheaton and son Joshua, 6, visit the museum to watch the trains once or twice a year and have model trains at home.

"We both like trains, we both like model railroads, Gilbert said. "We're train geeks. What can I say?"

Sunya Collier of Atlanta is a former Wheaton resident and brought her family to the museum while in town for a visit. Her son John is already a train enthusiast at age 2.

"He's psyched. He's very excited," she said. "He loves to watch them move. He loves how they connect together … 'couple up' as he calls it. He likes the different ways they look and how they work. It's an enduring interest for young children."

Michael Foster, 4, of Wheaton, held onto his own toy train that he created out of candy and watched excitedly as the trains moved along the tracks.

"I think when they train comes down this track, it's going to bunch in there and crash," he said excitedly to his mother.

Ken Valentine of Wheaton is a member of the society and demonstrated some of the trains Saturday. He said having trains as a hobby is not terribly expensive and only as time consuming as the enthusiast makes it.

"If the whole idea of railroading appeals to you, the idea of being able to recreate a piece of it and actually run it is absolutely wonderful," Valentine said.

Families said it would be a shame to see the museum and the train set close.

"It's just a valuable public outpouring of the history of DuPage County and Wheaton in particular, and I think any town with integrity is going to pay attention to its history, and I think that's valuable in itself," Collier said.

The museum at 102 E. Wesley St. has another TrainFest scheduled from noon until 4 p.m. Jan. 19.

Anyone interested in donating to the museum can send a check to the DuPage County Historical Museum Association at the above address. For more information, call (630) 682-7343.