'Playing With Trains' at DuPage historical museum

In the corporate world, it's known as “logistics,” managing the transportation of goods between origin and destination. At the DuPage County Historical Museum, it's known as playing with trains.

For over 50 years, members of the DuPage Society of Model Engineers have designed, built and run a complex layout of specialized ‘HO' gauge model trains that deliver a variety of train cars, history lessons and fun for visitors to the well-loved display.

Begun in 1956, the first layout was constructed in a former chicken coop on a farm in Lombard. Ten years later, that layout had out-grown the coop and needed a new home. The basement of the recently dedicated DuPage County Historical Museum was available. If they were willing to clean it out.

“I helped haul the coal out of the bins down here,” remembers Bill Stroner, a founding member of the volunteer Society.

It took three years to complete the layout constructed at the museum location. A peek beneath the tables reveals ropes of intertwined wires thick as jungle vines. Ken Valentine, another Society member, estimates over a mile of wiring completes the set-up.

“Don Gouldsberry, the engineer who designed the electrical system layout, is color blind. That's why we have a lot of red wire,” said Valentine.

The electric schematics were so well thought out, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry sent their engineer to take notes on the Wheaton model before beginning construction on Chicago's version.

The visible train system layout includes a whimsical depiction of twelve DuPage County towns and many historic landmarks, including “Lilacia Valley,” named for the city of Lombard and “Turner Junction,” which was later known as the city of West Chicago. Over fifty local industries, past and present, are represented on the layout. Each building was painstakingly hand-constructed from model kits or in some cases, “scratch-built.” Hundreds of hours went into the creation of the detailed replica of the DuPage County Historical Museum building assembled especially for the layout by Keith Ward, another longtime volunteer.

Stroner calls the layout “nearly finished,” after a recent reconstruction. “The museum needed eight feet off the end to put in an elevator.” Stroner made a chopping motion with his hand. “Took us a while to fix that.”

Over the years, there have been close to a hundred volunteers on the society's roster. Now fewer than ten active members maintain and operate the trains. They meet every Wednesday evening to play with the trains.

Part logic puzzle and part chess game, playing with trains involves transporting cars around the layout track. Engineers create waybills, similar to the ones actually used in trainyards to route cars to destinations. Each waybill includes specific instructions on where the car must be delivered. Without lifting a car off the track, the engineer has to determine how to move the car along the destination route assigned by the waybill card.

The men delight in making these instructions as tricky as possible.

They also enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for all-things-train. The third and fifth Saturday afternoons of every month are Train Days, when they operate the layout for museum visitors.

“Did you see that? It's awesome!” Kids from Cub Scout Pack 138 dashed from window to window on a recent Saturday afternoon, calling out train sightings. “Watch the Amtrak. Here it comes!”

Visitors tell another history of the museum's famous train display. Peggy Pieczybski has been a Wheaton resident for 41 years. She remembers bringing her son to see the trains. Now she brings her grandson and granddaughter. Stacey Bennett brought her 15 year old son and his pal all the way from Rantoul, Illinois to see the trains run.

“My Dad used to do HO layouts,” said Dan Seiders of Naperville, visiting with his grandchildren. “I really appreciate how detailed this set up is.”

Careful observation of signs, such as “Support your local Dentist – Eat Candy” and “Striptgearworks,” always brings a smile. A haunted house, King Kong and the Batmobile offer tiny visual surprises set beside amazingly accurate model buildings. The painted numbers which can be seen on the model roofs are actually visible on the same buildings in Wheaton--to airline pilots flying overhead.

Members of the DuPage Society of Model Engineers delight in these details, as much as visitors to the museum. But with most members now well over sixty, there is a growing concern within the group about what will happen to the trains in the coming years. It may be the most important logistics issue the Society has faced.

“I like the fellows here. We have fun. No feuds,” says Ward. “We hope to pass this on.”

Those interested in joining the DuPage Society of Model Engineers are invited to contact either Keith Ward or Bill Stroner through the Dupage County Historical Museum website at www.dupagemuseum.com.

Visit Train Day this month on May 19th from 1:30-3:30pm. The Dupage County Historical Museum is located at 102 E. Wesley Street, Wheaton, Illinois. Admission to The DuPage County Historical Museum is free. Donations gratefully accepted.