Train collector all aboard with hobby

"There are no bad train days."

That's how collector Craig Chidester feels when he escapes down to his basement and spends time with his electric trains.

The 56-year-old Westmont resident is an avid collector of Lionel toy trains from the post-war era -- 1945 to 1969 -- and has one of the largest collections in the Chicago area.

"I've been collecting trains since I was in fifth grade," Chidester said. "I actually still have some of those trains in my collection."

Toy trains differ from scale-model trains in that accessories such as railroad crossing gates, signs, foliage and landscapes don't have to be in perfect proportion to the size of the cars in order to reflect proportions in the real world.

To be polite -- and to guard against theft -- train collectors often refrain from talking about the monetary value of their collections.

"Let's just say I have a lot of trains, and that includes some very rare pieces you'd probably never see anywhere else," Chidester said.

In addition to an expansive layout of track, Chidester has his collection on display in dozens of elegant, well-lit glass cases.

While most enthusiasts prefer collecting engines, Chidester loves collecting cabooses -- he's got 120 of them alone -- as well as hopper cars.

Hopper cars are the odd-looking, upside-down triangle cars that carry coal, grain, cement, gravel or any granulated product.

"Nobody collects cabooses and hopper cars," Chidester said. "I have a lot of fun collecting those because they're easier to find and they're less expensive."

His collection even includes most of a Lionel train set that was marketed to girls in 1957.

That set includes a pink steam engine, a lavender hopper car, turquoise and yellow boxcars and a sky-blue caboose.

Chidester says he only has about half of the trains he wants -- he's still looking for that pink steam engine -- but he prefers not to buy trains over the Internet.

"I'm old-fashioned," he said. "I like to hold what I'm buying and see it with my own eyes."

The owner of Goffinet Equipment Company in Naperville, an excavation firm, Chidester even painted "We Also Buy Old Toy Trains" on the doors of his fleet of pickups and dump trucks to aid his never-ending search.

Train shows or meets are also a good way to find trains, Chidester said, because enthusiasts are always there willing to sell. Shows are also a great way to introduce the hobby to kids.

"I don't think kids these days play make-believe or have hobbies like adults did when they were young," Chidester said. "When I was a kid, we had wood-burning sets, erector sets and carving sets in addition to electric trains."

A physics student while attending the University of Wyoming, Chidester thinks electric trains can teach skills such as math, electrical knowledge and carpentry that can be applied to real life.

"Trains are also a great hobby for a parent to be involved with their son or daughter in a way that's different from just attending their sports games as a spectator," he said.

A member of the Lionel Collectors Club of America, Chidester will be among those playing host Saturday at the club's 13th annual Lionel Christmas Toy Train Show at Naperville Central High School.

The show will have local hobby shops selling trains at vendor tables, as well as a huge modular layouts with operating trains.

A module is a space 4 feet long by 2 feet wide, where enthusiasts can build loops of track in whatever fashion they'd like -- bridges, tunnels, mountains or a cityscape.

At each end of the rectangle, there's an open segment of track where the module can connect up with the tracks from someone else's layout.

"Modulars are a great way to learn about electric trains if you don't have a lot of room in your house," Chidester said.

"The modules are all built at head-high level for most children, so kids just love seeing the trains run across all of these different landscapes linked together."

The train show also will include a visit from Santa Claus from 11 a.m. to noon. He'll be handing out free Lionel train catalogs to kids.

One lucky child at the show will win a complete Lionel train set.

"I was always told a hobby is supposed to be something you do for fun," Chidester said. "I do this for fun."

If you go

What:Lionel Collectors Club of America's 13th annual Christmas Toy Train Show

When:9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Where:Naperville Central High School, 440 W. Aurora Ave., Naperville

Cost: $5 adults, free for children younger than 18, maximum of $10 per family

Details: Len Hopkins, (630) 369-8467