My Summer of 2023

Ohio, Michigan AND Scotland

Chapter 3: Jim and Rick

The next leg of my Ohio trip led me to Columbus, Ohio where I would reconnect with another long-time friend, Jim, from my Ann Arbor, MI days where we shared many good times together. After leaving Michigan, Jim M had moved to Columbus where I had last seen him over 35 years ago. Thankfully he had found me on Facebook, and we have been able to communicate with plans to meet again. He and his partner Rick invited me to stay with them for several days where we reminisced and enjoyed some great time together. Besides their gracious hospitality and friendship, the most incredible part of visiting them concerns their hobby – model trains. I had known of Jim’s hobby but was not prepared for its revelation to me.

They both kept me in suspense until the time they chose to show me their incredible masterpiece in their full-size basement, and it needs all that space for its size.

OH, not just a little bitty collection, but a vast, multi train diorama display!

I was astounded at what I saw.

With hills, tunnels, homes and businesses, a full Fall foliage scene, a haunted house, bridges, Christmas village, multi-level tracks, farm scene, model cars and trucks of various vintages, a working lumber yard that loads logs, ice house where ice blocks are loaded in box cars, a diner with moving attendants taking orders, a service station garage, overhead door opening and a ’57 Chevy coming out and driving to the gas pumps,  railroad crossing gates, steam coming from a locomotive, the sound of the train horn as it passes by, its headlight beaming before it upon the tracks, interiors of passenger cars lit up, oh so many moving parts that it is spellbinding to watch. But wait, turn off the lights and the transformation to a nighttime scene is equally amazing.

Jim and Rick have devoted countless hours to create this unique masterpiece, all of which he can control electronically, sounds, voices and moving parts. But Jim’s incredible model train set is not all that is impressive. He has an extensive collection of engines, locomotives, various train cars of differing vintages and boxes and boxes of unopened sets that are packed on shelves. It is a point of pride that is well deserved. Truly a labor of love!

To see this model train set in motion, check out these YouTube videos:

(copy these 2 links, paste and watch them in full screen on YouTube): https://youtu.be/CrWEQwNJkqQ

or

https://youtu.be/Jsu-cY5Fn3Q

Though a short visit, I am thankful that we could connect and am thankful for their hospitality and friendship.

It was then back to spend the last several days with my family and getting organized for the major segment of my Summer of ’23…

Onward to Scotland!