(whistle blowing) (theme music) Announcer: Support for Tracks Ahead is provided in part by Kalmbach Publishing Company and its on-line video magazine, Model Railroader Video Plus.

And by Walthers.

(theme music) Hi, I'm Spencer Christian.

On this episode of Tracks Ahead, this week we stop at one of New England's few continuously run steam lines that features, some say, a legendary or perhaps mythical figure that rides along with you--- we'll also visit a West Virginia toy and train museum chock full of childhood memories for any type of collector--- Plus, we check out a Christmas themed layout 50 years in the making.

But first, a trip to a horticultural conservatory where we'll see how they plan, construct and run their garden trains under the 'domes'.

Let's get started.

(music) Narrator: Every once in a while, the passionate green-thumbs at Mitchell Park Conservatory in Milwaukee get in touch with their inner train lover.

That's because they build a custom g-scale layout from scratch once a year.

Bob Dufresne: The Domes staff has gotten extremely good at installing a layout.

Narrator: Mitchell Park - also known as The Domes - proudly hosts a garden train show inside one of its 7-story tall glass greenhouses.

And it's a tradition they've kept alive for nearly 20 years.

Amy Thurner: It's a real treasure and it really adds a lot of value to the whole system.

Sandy Folaron: The kids, when they come here to experience this, they notice things adults do not.

Burt Gross: In the past, we've done circus train shows, wild-west train shows, just trains passing through cities.

Narrator: Park artist Burt Gross makes new scenery pieces for each trainshow.

And one of his biggest challenges is finding new ways to create a fresh layout that matches the show's time-honored themes.

So when Burt pitched an unusual steam-powered theme, he wasn't sure how the rest of the team would react.

Burt Gross: it was maybe more of a difficult sale than some of the other ideas.

Amy Thurner: SteamPunk Mary Braunreiter: SteamPunk Sandy Folaron: SteamPunk Burt Gross: SteamPunk is the theme Amy Thurner: I didn't know what SteamPunk was.

(laughs) Burt Gross: Nobody knew what SteamPunk was.

Mary Braunreiter: I'd never heard of it before so I had to google it.

And then I saw all the things that reminded me of Jules Verne and Back to the Future Burt Gross: If I had to describe SteamPunk, I would say, the old-days with modern technology run with the technology they had in the old days.

So steam-powered computers, steam-powered robots.

Sandy Folaron: It really is about steam generated machines and inventions and whirly-gigs, and kind of a cross mix with the Victorian Age.

Narrator: And Mitchell Park director Sandy Folaron welcomed the thematic change of pace.

Sandy Folaron: we did our research and when we do our shows we do them, the themes at least 2 or 3 years in advance.

So we thought, 'we need to do things different.

We constantly try and recreate these great experiences that add value to the residents' lives.

Narrator: After agreeing on the new theme, the Mitchell Park staff had to figure out how to transform their plush greenhouse into a mechanical garden.

So Burt got together with park horticulturalist Mary Braunreiter to come up with a plan for the plts.

Mary Braunreiter: Burt's really easy to work with.

He wanted muted tones like dusty pinks and more pastel colors.

Some rusty colors too, like oranges and bronze and yellow.

Burt: We've got some interesting metallic-looking plants and waxier plants that are shiny.

Narrator: Amy Thurner is another park horticulturalist.

She organized and ordered all the unique plants featured in the show.

But Amy also had to coordinate the workforce needed to bring their steam punk vision to life.

Amy Thurner: You would probably be surprised.

It takes a lot of parks employees to pull this off.

We have a crew of forestry workers.

It's been ranging from 5 to 3 different size crews... We have 3 plumbers...3 electricians here, a carpenter... lots of trades, lots of skill trades, not just horticulturalist.

Narrator: The whole operation at Mitchell Park is a large one.

There is a tropical climate dome and a desert dome - but the train show is housed in the show dome.

And each January, the team reunites to clear out the holiday display and install the train layout.

Burt Gross: We do the show in about 2 weeks, that's our set-up time.

Basically, what you see here is a giant sandbox.

Everything gets uprooted, everything gets put away.

New things are brought up.

Bob Dufresne: When the Domes goes into what they call transition in this area, they literally take out every plant.

Everything that you see in here right now is literally gone...It is nothing but sand.

Narrator: And Bob Dufresne is used to seeing that transition, after more than 10 years of volunteering.

He and other members from 3 different train clubs in the area, take turns running their engines on the Dome's layout.

So Bob coordinates a volunteers schedule with the clubs and the Domes.

Bob Dufresne: Every club member gets to bring in what they own.

So they mix that in with the Domes stuff and every time the public comes in, they get to see different things.

What we find here is that whether you like trains, or you're in love with trains or it's a passion for you.

Something moving in the Dome is real interesting to everybody.

It works out well because it's somewhere that you can take your family in the middle of a Wisconsin winter.

It can be snowing outside and it always feels like spring in the Domes.

Sandy Folaron: There's a lot of history here at Mitchell Park.

The conservatory itself-it's been a conservatory on the site since 1898.

We're an icon here in Milwaukee.

Everybody loves the domes.

Narrator: And more than 100 years later, Mitchell Park is still one of the most vibrant ways beat even the toughest Wisconsin winter.

Burt Gross: We do all sorts of different events.

We have all kinds of wonderful plants.

It's a warm climate in the winter to escape to.

Amy Thurner: I think it's because in Wisconsin, maybe there are not as many things to see in winter so you get to come inside this warm sunny dome, and be amongst green, beautiful flowering plants.

I don't think other conservatories would have a train show exhibit of like this scale, the size.

There's a lot of track.

It takes a lot of people to pull this off.

Mary Bruanreiter: no show is ever the same.

They're always different.

So that's why it's fun to come up with something odd like SteamPunk.

Narrator: And though there were some exciting changes this season, one very special train celebrity still made his annual appearance.

Burt Gross: The children absolutely love Thomas.

It's their favorite part of it.

They can pick him out the second they walk in through the doors.

Sandy Folaron: They're coming to see Thomas the Train.

I'm not kidding.

We can do everything we want with circuses and SteamPunk and industrial villages.

But the kids-it's all about Thomas.

It's all about Clarence.

Burt Gross: So we have a little SteamPunk Thomas territory.

I've taken some little Thomas toys and SteamPunked them up, added some rust and some copper fixtures, gears and things.

And it looks cool.

Narrator: But they take on this massive undertaking every year with a bigger goal in mind.

They're hoping to inspire the next generation of plant and train lovers, alike.

Sandy Folaron: education is really another mission here.

It's part of our mission... show people the wonderful world of steam, and being inventive and what you can do Burt Gross: I'd definitely like to see new people coming to the Domes, maybe a different generation.

Or just people who wouldn't normally think to come to the Domes.

Narrator: The folks at Mitchell Park are hard at work all year round to create their distinctive train exhibits under glass.

So there's something for everyone whether you're looking for a new way to enjoy something familiar, or an old-fashioned way to experience something new.

Spencer: Coming up, I'm sure every now and again you've lamented losing those prized childhood possessions- toys, figures, trains.

We'll stop by a museum that seems to have found them all for you.

But first, we visit an o gauge layout that's 38 by 10 feet in size.

It all started over 50 years ago- at Christmas time.

Narrator: Like most children who grew up in the 1950's Paul Jann had toy trains.

Paul wanted a layout, and he had help from his parents.

Paul: My early layout started out when I was a young boy and my friends had their trains under the family Christmas tree.

I wanted a layout, so I got my father to give me a couple of plywood boards.

One became a city with passenger trains, then the other board would be farmland with an airport, and I could run freight trains.

Narrator: As he grew up and left home, Paul's trains were forgotten, and languished in his parents garage.

It wasn't long before he found his toy train love rekindled.

Paul: A friend of mine took me to a couple of the open houses in the Wilmington area.

So I knew that my trains should still be back in Buffalo so I retrieved them from the rafters of the garage.

And what do you know, they still worked.

So then I started building my first layout, which was kind of small and actually incorporated those old train boards into the current layout.

Narrator: Paul liked the action that toy train accessories provided.

And he came across several new items from Lionel.

Paul: Most train layouts have to have a coaling section and Lionel came out with this really interesting operating accessory called the rotary coal tipple.

And it would rotate and dump coal out of the cars while the train was passing through it.

So I decided that I would real like to have a coaling section on my layout.

Paul: The center lift bridge was another exquisite piece from Lionel.

It looked very realistic.

It has counter weights, it has flashing lights.

And the center section lifts up with the two side spans to have the counter weights.

And that was just perfect to come over the harbor and into the coaling section so that the trains could access.

And it would be up front and a focal point of the area.

Narrator: Paul realized that his trains were all parked in the middle of the layout.

He needed a place to hide them, which required some special engineering.

Paul: I didn't have much real estate to expand laterally, so I decided I would build a lower section where I could park trains.

So to get trains down to a lower level, that's kind of easy.

You just build a long sloping down chute if you will and gentle curves.

Coming up 18 inches, getting back up to the layout is much more difficult.

And so I saw in a magazine where someone had a helix which is a spiral set of tracks circular going up and I said, that's perfect to get my trains back up to the top of the layout.

Narrator: Logging is always a favorite industry for model railroaders.

Paul: I went to West Virginia and saw the Cass layout, the Cass Railroad.

And I wanted the aspects of a logging camp and logging engines and wiggly tracks for going up the mountains and switchbacks.

Fortunately Lionel and other manufacturers like Mikes Train House offered the different types of logging engines to pull logging trains up and down those steep mountains.

Paul: I had to have a logging camp where the lumberjacks would live and have their little shacks and kitchen and service area.

Narrator: From forest to city, there are plenty of interesting little things to see on this layout.

Paul: Every layout, you try to build little scenes that are of interest to people who come to see your layout.

One of my other hobbies is motorcycles, I have a motorcycle shop and a little gang of motorcycle guys riding down the street.

I have a factory on fire scene where you've got flickering lights and smoke, you emulate the burning building.

And then there's a fireman on a ladder actually spraying real water down into a hole in the building, and then you've got the emergency vehicles with their flickering lights.

Narrator: Paul's wife Suzanne also provides input on the layout.

Suzanne: Paul comes up with an idea in his imagination and he plots things out and as he finishes each section, he'll come up with, What do you think about this?

And I may say, It needs to be a different color, a different hue.

We need to add some more things to it.

Narrator: What does the future hold?

Paul: For the future, obviously I don't have too much real estate, but I would really love to have a round house with a turntable.

But that's probably going to take another negotiation with my wife to get some real estate in the basement.

Narrator: It's great to see that a Christmas time layout is still going strong after a half a century.

(music) Allan Raymond Miller: All collectors have in them a desire to share their collection with people.

Narrator: This desire is reflected at the Kruger Street Toy and train Museum.

Multiple layouts, different types of trains and a variety of toys takes one down memory lane in this 42 thousand square foot former school in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Historian and founder's son, Allen Raymond Miller, told us this train adventure started out with Lionel trains running around the Christmas tree.

Allan Raymond Miller: The layout would get bigger every year, finally we talked Mom into moving the tree into the dining room so that we could put a huge layout up in the basement.

Narrator: Museum founder Allan Robert Miller, said that there's always been trains in the family.

Allan Robert Miller: even my father during the depression could not afford, so they made trains out of cheese boxes.

Narrator: The museum houses multiple layouts in several gauges.

This layout is O gauge, the size the Miller's started with.

Allan Robert Miller: What you see here is a microcosm of the area.

There's a little church behind me that existed between West Celebrity and Bently.

Marx made a model of it, that's why it's on the layout.

Also, there's other significant items- there's a water tower that I build from a powder can that my mother had, and it's orange, it's up at the end of the layout.

People don't know that that's over 63 years old.

Narrator: This H-O gauge layout was once in someone's basement.

Curator James Schulte said they brought it to the museum in pieces.

James Schulte: There were the 3 main sections that you'll see were part of it and we added on some 20 to 30 feet of it to lengthen everything out.

Try to make that seamless and we actually cut it into 11 pieces to transport it here when we brought it in.

Narrator: a lot of things on the layout are made reflective of how things were done in the early years.

For example, the trees.

Allan Raymond Miller: There's some beautiful, manufactured trees on the market today.

Some of them cost as much as real trees.

Which is ok, some people really enjoy that.

We actually make our own trees out of different plants and weeds that we harvest and process to create a tree.

Narrator: and for the soil, they use coffee grounds.

There are no two items alike on these layouts.

Allan Raymond Miller: a lot of times what we find for example, we go out and buy a building, a plastic building kit.

And we'll modify it, we'll add things to it, you paint it up different ways, you change it, you make it yours- you make it your own so that it doesn't look like that building on everyone else's layout.

Cars and trucks and people, some of the fun is going out and finding this stuff.

When we were building layouts early on I would go into a lot of toy stores and go up and down the aisles and just look and say, OK, I don't' care what t he package says this is for, what can I use it for.

Narrator: and to add to the toy-like enjoyment, a train related amusement park layout is being setup.

(music) Walking through the layouts can be a fun experience, especially when it becomes hands-on.

James Schulte: as you turn 360degrees, you can see the trains all the way around you.

It's supposed to be fun, that's the whole point.

Watch the trains go by.

Kids love to see them come in and out of the tunnels or pushing one of the buttons and just that little bit of interaction goes a long way.

Narrator: the Kruger Street toy and train museum has the largest collection of Marx trains on public display in the world.

Other trains on display, Lionel, Ives, American Flyer and the list goes on.

Here at the museum you can take a step back and be a kid again.

Allan Raymond Miller: They can go through and see, for older people, part of their own childhood- for younger people, maybe they're seeing part of their parents or grandparent's childhood.

A lot of times too we have little kids that come through here and they see a toy from their generation and their eyes light up and they're amazed and say wow, something I play with is in a museum.

Because we have so many different eras, so many different types of toys so many different genres on display, everybody finds something that not only do they understand it, but it connects on a personal level.

Dave Baule: Hi, I'm Dave Baule- Every now and again as we produced Tracks Ahead, we'd start off a story with one thing in mind- but something that arises during shooting changes the focus completely.

That's what happens in this next Classic Trax segment.

I'm sure you've heard of the wolfman- some say he's a mythical creature.

Perhaps so....

But there's no doubt that a wolfman comes to life chasing the White Mountain central railroad in central New Hampshire.

Rachel: Now you see Wolfman's been chasing this train for years now, but we just recently found out why.

The Wolfman's actually a miner.

And he believes he's found a very rare and precious sort of ore right here at Clarks Trading Post.

It's called Unobtainium.

Now Wolfman is afraid that with all the people we haul past his mine each and every day of the summer, someday, someone is going to jump his claim.

Narrator: Meet "The Wolfman."

He's a central attraction at the White Mountain Central Railroad.

The railroad is a part of Clarks Trading Post, in Lincoln, New Hampshire, a family destination since 1928.

Elise: Back in 1928, Ed & Florence Clark settled here.

And they started Ed Clark's Eskimo Sled Dog Ranch.

They raced Eskimo sled dogs, they trained them, they breeded them.

And along the line they came with bears.

We have trained black bears, and with every year passing attractions grew and grew as a family attraction, summer tourist attraction.

Narrator: Amusement is what the White Mountain Central is all about - and always has been.

This is not a refurbished rail line that used to serve industry.

It's only purpose has been fun.

Elise: And in 1958 the White Mountain Central Railroad started.

My father-in-law, Ed Clark, decided that he wanted to have a greener pasture for these iron horses.

So they were, all of them, getting ready to get scrapped.

He decided that we wanted to bring them here, restore them, operate them, run them, and basically that's how the railroad got started.

Narrator: The line has an example of a rare type of logging locomotive, one of only a few still operating.

Re-tubed and restored, it's a gleaming example of early 20th century technology.

Leon: This type of engine is known as a Climax geared locomotive.

It was built in 1920 in Cory, Pennsylvania.

And it was bought new by the Beebe River Lumber Company down in here in Canton.

The used it for a number of years and then it came up here to Lincoln, on the east branch of the Lincoln Railroad, where they also used it for a number of years.

It went into retirement inside an open building, a semi open building, and we bought it in 1951.

It wasn't until 1976 that we retubed this engine, pins, bushings.

We went right through it mechanically.

And it started running again on the White Mountain Central Railroad.

We converted it from coal to wood.

And the main reason for that is that we don't have any coal mines up here.

But we have plenty of wood.

During the course of a day, a good engineer will burn between half and three quarters of a cord of wood.

Narrator: Today the White Mountain Central railroad is the only railroad that runs an authentic steam engine through an authentic covered bridge... and it's certainly the only railroad that continues to anger a wolf man.

Leon: In 1973, we had our engineer, Dave Clark, and I was up in the woods more or less hauling wood down for the engine.

I had an old Model T snow machine to haul the wood out of the forest.

And on one of these train rides I saw all these kids looking.

And they were all interested in the old rig.

And I was pretty scruffy looking back then.

And so I just figured on the next trip, I'll just hide in the woods, and when the train comes out, I'll attack it.

I had an eye patch, which I put on, I was, as I said, scruffy.

And I chased the train, much to the consternation of the engineer.

Dave Clark thought I'd gone over the edge, but after he saw the look on the people, and everybody asking questions, he thought, What a great idea.

Narrator: Being The Wolfman isn't all about scaring people or defending this land.

Tim: Not everybody can do this job.

And I'm sure Wolfmen of the past would vouch for it.

You say that.

You have to have a degree of reading people, when to do what, and how to act.

And to do this, carrying on a tradition here.

You're making memories for thousands and thousands of people.

Every day you're making memories.

Narrator: Clarks Trading Post offers more than just the train and the Wolfman.

There is a wealth of family entertainment.

Elise: This is a destination for many, many families in the New England area and actually all throughout the country.

We're a family business, we're on the fourth generation that is working with us.

Families come here for just wholesome family entertainment.

We have a variety of things for them to do on their summer vacation days.

Narrator: So visitors will find Segway rides, bumper boats, climbing walls, trained bear shows and a Chinese Circus act.

But the theme that seems to over-ride it all is the steam train, and of course, The Wolfman.

Rachel:This ride would absolutely Not be the same without the Wolfman.

The Wolfman adds an extra pizzazz, I guess you'd say.

It really makes it fun for All, especially the kids, who are running out there, they get to scream at the Wolfman, it gives them something to do rather than just sit there and look at what's around them.

Spencer: Memories- trains- interesting characters... just a small sampling of what Tracks Ahead has brought to living rooms these past several decades.

Well, that's all for this episode.

Please join us next time for more, Tracks Ahead.

(theme music) Announcer: Tracks Ahead.

Brought to you by: Kalmbach Publishing Co. and its on-line video magazine, Model Railroader Video Plus.

Walthers.

Manufacturer and supplier of model railroading products, serving the hobby since 1932.

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