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Model railroad club builds large display in Granby Town Hall

Tonya Bina
tbina@grandcountynews.com
Grand County, Colorado
TONYA BINA/SKY-HI DAILY NEWS
ALL |

An enormous construct of tracks and rocky-tops is in progress in the lobby of the Granby, Colorado, Town Hall.

The Grand County Model Railroad Club is volunteering labor and materials to create an attraction worthy of any train lover and kid-at-heart.

When completed, the 12-foot-by-12-foot kinetic scene, representative of a great western railroad around the early-to mid-1900s, will have three tunnels, three bridges, a 3-foot trestle bridge, wildlife miniatures, a logging and a mining operation, lakes, streams ” even a Santa Clause conspicuously located.



The main attraction will be two trains traveling the route. Trains will be of various types, according to railroad club president Dave Naples, such as coal, logging, mining and passenger trains changed out throughout the duration of the display.

For those familiar with the craft, the model is HO-sized, or medium size, with 1/87th scale cars.



Naples, who for 37 years has been in the business of railroad modeling as former owner of MTL Incorporated, Denver, stressed no taxpayer funds are being used to erect the model.

The 14-member railroad club, he said, wanted to do something for the community as well as market the club’s main project: A future 4,000 square-foot model railroad building and 4,000 square foot model railroad museum west of Kaibab ball fields in Granby.

The town of Granby is providing land for the future railroad buildings and the club is seeking other help from the Union Pacific Railroad, which displaced the club from its prior building last summer due to a railroad “clean-up” project.

Work on the miniature railroad for the Town Hall began two weeks ago in Naples’ woodworking shop.

The tables and skeletal landscape were transported to site last week.

By Friday, model-railroaders were laying train tracks and starting the foundation for the natural scene by placing drywall shims, which will later support molded plastic.

Half of the landscape will be of a winter scene, Naples said.

The public can expect to see the museum-quality display in operation by the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Citizens are encouraged to follow the project’s progress, Naples said, and even the most novice railroad-model makers are welcome to lend a hand.

” Tonya Bina can be reached at 887-3334 ext. 19603 or e-mail tbina@grandcountynews.com.


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