Page 53 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2015

museum. I’ve been with them for about two years.”
One of the trains featured in the museum was once housed in the
mall in Gautier. But when the mall was demolished, Billings said the club members decided to find the train a permanent home. “Once they tore down the mall, we had to find another place for the train,” he said. “We spent about a year looking for another room. We were renting a room at the Mary C. O’Keefe Center in Ocean Springs. We were there for a year. In December 2014, we decided it was time to look elsewhere and here we are.”
Model trains have been one of
the more popular toys throughout history, dating back to the 19th Century. The trains come in several sizes or “gauges,” with the HO gauge being among the most popular. One name that is synonymous with toy trains is the Lionel Corporation, which began manufacturing toy trains in the U.S. in 1900. The MCMRM contains several running
tracks including HO gauge and Lionel trains.
“We have more than a hundred years of toy trains,” Billings said. “Our oldest one goes back to the 1800s. We have pre and post World War II Lionels. Virtually everything here is from a private collection. We have some railroad memorabilia that was donated.”
But antique trains aren’t the only ones on display as the museum also has several “Thomas the Train” sets, as well as a replica of Harry Potter’s “Hogwarts Express.”
“One of the things that really
made trains popular again was the movie ‘The Polar Express,’ which starred Tom Hanks,” Billings said. “The ‘Thomas the Train’ series also introduced trains to a much younger generation. Model trains have become so popular again that we have started selling a few toys at the museum.”
Although the HO and Lionel trains are popular with the museum’s visitors, Billings said nothing compares to the 500,000-piece
working Lego train in the building’s front room.
“I would say this has got to be one of the largest Lego collections on the Gulf Coast,” he said.
The train is centered around a town, also made of legos. It contains a large store, as well as a building from
the movie “Ghostbusters” and an operating ferris wheel.
“One of our members is a ‘Legomaniac,’ so we ended up with two Lego trains,” he said. “They are our most popular attractions. Legos are so popular because they cross generations,” he said. “Every kid can identify with doing Legos.”
The second working Lego train contains a scale-model McDonald’s.
Billings said the MCMRM offers
a unique opportunity for birthday parties for children. “We have a lot
of attractions outside of the building that can be used for birthday parties,” he said. “We have ‘Thomas the Train’ tracks where small children can ride on a train and we have a lot of things that are hands on for children.”
Hobos are often associated with traveling on the railways of America. To help celebrate National Model Railroad Month, the Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum will be holding a Hobo Day on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 12-5 p.m.
The event will include hobo music and stories. A prize will be awarded for the best hobo costume.
“All we’re asking is for people to bring a canned food item,” Timothy Billings said. “The food will be donated to local food pantries in the area.”
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