B.C.'s biggest model train show opens in Burnaby
Hobbyists get together to showcase their passion
The 32nd Annual Trains Show, which opened Saturday in Burnaby each year showcases the latest in small-scale railways of every make and description.
Show manager Michael Batten says in an age of video games and electronic toys, the show continues to attract both the young and the old.
This year's display includes scale model trains, miniature landscapes, computerized train models, and LEGO displays.
Batten says train enthusiasts have spent thousands of hours recreating something fondly remembered from childhood or dreamed up on their own—a passion they have transformed into a creative hobby, "that's fun to look at."
"We can make these little tiny machines do exactly what their grownup counterparts do," said Batten .
"They run on rails.They are powered by electricity. We can make them sound like the real thing. We can make them move like the real thing. And we can make them look like the real thing, but we do it all in miniature."
Batten says the show at the Cameron Recreation Centre at 9523 Cameron Street in Burnaby is open to the public though to Sunday. He says it is interactive and this year includes a kid's activity area.