"I've actually had someone email me and ask me if we're doing this again and when. It's good to know people like it," Al Strausner mused.
Together, Strausner and his grandson, Matthew Palmeri, built a temporary model railroad layout last year at West Willow United Methodist Church, 118 W. Willow Road, Willow Street. During the six days it was open in December 2018, more than 180 people visited.
"People like to come and talk," Strausner said.
Matthew, age 12, is in sixth grade at Martic Elementary School. He and his grandfather have shared a love of model trains for as long as he can remember. Matthew helps with the layout in the basement of Strausner's Willow Street home, and he has one at his own house.
"My layout's a mess because I'm redoing it all again," Matthew commented.
Matthew's mother, Amy Palmeri, occasionally provides assistance with Matthew's projects. With last year's holiday layout, she served as Matthew's assistant. "We had everything on a cart, and she handed me the items so I could fill in the layout," Matthew said. "My mom does help - hopefully she'll do that this year - and she sits and talks to people (when they visit the layout)."
The design will differ from last year's, but it will still be a realistic town. About 50 Plasticville buildings are slated to populate the HO- and O-scale layouts. Strausner, age 75, said he has had a few of the buildings since he was younger than Matthew, adding, "My aunt and uncle would get me one for every holiday."
During most of the year, the structures line two walls in Strausner's basement in what the duo called a Plasticville museum. Some of the buildings are displayed with their cardboard boxes. Strausner counted about six generations of visual design among the boxes. He noted that some people have built collections of the paper packages.
"I don't care about the box," Strausner remarked. "Some people buy them just for the box and don't care about whether all the pieces are there. I want the parts."
According to Strausner's go-to information repository, http://www.tandem-associates.com, Plasticville was introduced in 1947 by Bachmann Bros. and was designed to be used with Lionel and American Flyer electric model trains. In 1952, the company received a patent for its snap-together construction, which did not require glue. Plastic buildings were produced by other companies, and Strausner owns several of those models, but they will not be used on this year's holiday layout. Strausner plans to create information sheets about the layout's components for visitors who would like to learn more.
Choir risers will be set along the outside edges of the layout as a safe way for children to view the layout and watch the trains move along the tracks. Like last year, the layout will include two tracks, with one locomotive and its accompanying cars for each. Matthew noted that several engines will be rotated to pull each train. "They usually run one day, and the next day they don't work," he said.
Strausner obtained additional pieces of track to improve the design. "I have new tracks for more swooping curves so we don't have as many disconnections and derailments," he explained.
The layout at the church will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 14, 21, and 28, and Sundays, Dec. 15, 22, and 29. There is no cost to attend.
"We just do it for the heck of it, for the fun of it," Strausner commented.
For more information about the model train layout, readers may contact Strausner at william.strausner@yahoo.com or 717-917-6922.
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