ALL ABOARD
Club's model railroad displays to help keep area history alive
Among the beautiful resorts, countless tourist destinations and the weekly migration of vehicles north from the metro area, it's easy to forget that for decades Crosslake, Brainerd and the many towns around it were born as railroad cities.
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Crosslake will soon boast a popular landmark for anyone fascinated by trains. By Memorial Day 2008, the Northern Trackers Railroad Club Inc. will have two large model railroad layouts, finishing the mission envisioned by Darlene Blazina of Aitkin years ago.
Born in March 2006, the Northern Trackers club is creating a haven "for kids of all ages, from 3 years old to 90." The two layouts feature a 30 by 30 replica of the Brainerd lakes area railroad community circa 1905-1915 and a 14 by 57 layout, which features trains from the 1930s-60s.
Bill Bury, Northern Trackers Railroad Club Inc. member, placed handmade trees near the model Walker train depot. The NTRRC, which is scheduled to open in Crosslake on Memorial Day 2008, features a historical lakes area train industry layout circa 1905-1915 and a large non-era layout.
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Brainerd Dispatch/Nels Norquist
SPOTTED: » All Aboard Northern Trackers - 21 Photos
In addition, there will be a museum, library, store, children's play area and a workshop. There is no admission charge.
"It's all about the children," said Bill Bury, one of the club's 10 charter members.
"People go through and they see what we have here and they're just awestruck. It's really an awesome thing that's been put together. Kids come in here and their eyes are as big as saucers. They just go from one train to another, they're so excited. It makes it all worthwhile."
The big draw will be the detailed HO-scale reproduction of the 1905-1915 North Central Minnesota railroad, logging and mining industries. Brainerd, Nary Logging Camp south of Bemidji, Hubert, Pine River, Duluth, Nisswa, Merrifield, Walker, Leech Lake and the Crosby-Ironton mining area are replicated.
The Minnesota and International, Sioux, Northern Pacific and some Great Northern lines will be profiled.
Northern Trackers
Railroad Club
Where: 35170 Crow Wing County Road 3, Crosslake.
- What: Two large model railroad layouts with many working accessories, museum, library, workshop.
- Cost: Free.
- Status: 50 percent done, a work in progress.
- Hours: Limited. "If we have our open sign out or if you see a car in the driveway we say, 'Come on in!'"
- Web site: www.northerntrackersrrclub.com.
No detail is overlooked. For example, the Nary Logging Camp is complete with bunkhouses, mess hall, barn, blacksmith, farm and engine house. Each setting is complete with exact replicas of buildings, horse and buggies, people, animals, trees and even stumps.
Master Model Railroader Cyril Durrenberger is overseeing the accuracy of the project.
Every single railroad tie on the hundreds of feet of track is painted a different color to reflect the rapid rate of decay which occurred on early railroads.
Durrenberger also went to railroad settings around the area and collected actual dirt for their corresponding section of the layouts.
The historic layout of the lakes area railroad industry from 1905-1915 at the Northern Trackers Railroad Club is about half completed and is scheduled to open Memorial Day 2008. It's one of two model railroad layouts in the Crosslake building.
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Brainerd Dispatch/Nels Norquist
If a visitor admires the Brainerd yards on the layout, under the model tracks will be dirt from the actual Brainerd railroad. Pictures will accompany the historic layout on the surrounding wall.
"People can look at the pictures from 1905 and then look at the models that are built and see how close we can replicate that," Bury said.
A second 14 by 57 room will house a Lionel O-scale layout, which includes more modern trains from the 1930s-'60s. Thirty working railroad accessories can be activated by the push of a button.
The layouts run on a DiGitrax system, encouraging visitors to hold a remote and walk around the structure, activating trains and accessories as they please.
"When people come to Crosslake, other than go to the ice cream shop or go mini-golfing, they can come and do trains," Bury said. "The parents and grandparents of those kids will use them as an excuse to come down here too."
A model train passed in front of the Walker train depot at the Northern Trackers Railroad Club in Crosslake. The historic layout meticulously details the railroad industry in the lakes area from 1905-1915.
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Brainerd Dispatch/Nels Norquist
Future offerings from the NTRRC include model railroad workshops catered toward youths and school classes as well as a railroad memorabilia store. A library will feature more than 200 books and 140 videos and DVDs that may be lent to the community through the Kitchigami Regional Library.
Many generous donations have made the NTRRC, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, the promising "work in process" it is today. The whole project is in large part because of two large HO and Lionel equipment donations.
After securing a 3,500-square foot building from a private donor Jan. 1, the group set to work in late March on the made-from-scratch layouts. Bury said that 95 percent of the track is laid and now it's a matter of getting the scenery down and constructing buildings.
"People come in and they'll come back to check in on our progress, because now is when all the fun stuff is happening," he said.