Norwalk and Western Railroad club is made of a group of members out of Norwalk who share the hobby of bringing model railroading to life.
The group has been welcoming those interested in the hobby since 1984, according to one of the club’s directors, Tony Catalano.
Catalano, 50, is a Norwalk native and has been a member of the club since the late 1980s.
He said this club was created for those who enjoy the art of bringing prototypes or any type of DCC-equipped train to life, while creating any type of realistic scenes in a 4-by-8-foot or larger layout.
The club currently has up to 11 members who meet at their location, 8 1/2 Benedict Ave., and create their own model train scenes with real lighting and sounds.
Members currently part of the club are residents of Lorain, Huron, Erie, Sandusky County and elsewhere.
Members can work on their trains at any time, and the public is welcome to watch from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays.
“Our location has enough space that provides an opportunity to do something on a grand scale that very few people could do by themselves,” Catalano said. “We operate our trains like a business, just like the real industries would rely on it.”
In Norwalk, there were several major railroads that came through in the earlier years of the 20th century, Catalano said.
He recalled a large rebuilding facility was once in the area that employed thousands of people and trains would come through the rail yard for organizations as those.
Robert Scherf of Fremont is the club’s former president, now a member.
Scherf, 59, said many of those railways, which were known as Norfolk and Western, are no longer used, but some parts of them have been maintained as a bicycle trail.
Norfolk and Western is how the club’s name was developed.
Catalano said there’s many things Norwalk and Western Railroad teaches members rather than being just a hobby.
“You learn everything from history of the trains, to electronics, to the business of running a railway,” he said. “It’s a very artistic hobby too. So, there’s a lot of scenery weathering, landscaping and that sort of thing that we do. It really is kind of something for everybody.”
He said the material and technology has changed through things like sound and lighting, but the club remains unique to many.
The Norwalk club stands out because they are one of the oldest clubs in the area.
“There are a few railroad clubs, not a ton of them in this area,” he said. “There’s not a ton of them anymore, just like the hobby shops have kind of gone by the wayside. There are there are a handful around, but certainly most of them are kind of geared toward the bigger population basis more toward Cleveland.
Catalano added there is a national model railroad association that is divided into regions and they fall into a region shared with Cleveland.
In addition, he said their emphasis on realism makes their club unique from others.
Alec Bonawit of Vermilion has been a member of the group for about two-and-a-half years.
Bonawit, 63, said there is much fun in scale modeling, especially the more realistic it gets.
“It’s a miniature world,” he said. “Whether you’re making a forest look like a forest, or a little town look like a little real town, or trains to look like authentic trains that can actually come down your track.”
Bonawit said no club member has to be a specialist or know a thing about how to create a realistic train setting.
“You don’t have to be specialist of anything, but if you got a little niche, you can help someone else who has another skillset,” he said.
For example, if someone is a good woodworker, they’ll build a layout, while someone who is good with the scenery can add effects.
“I think one of the great things is you can take what (one member) knows and what (the other member) knows and can learn and feed off each other,” Bonawit said. “And we all become maybe better because of it. Our interests become broader.”
Members can not only learn from one another, but also enhance their skills, improve technical knowledge in DCC operations, manage and participate in special clinics or workshops and more.
The club will take their complete model train scenes to 10 or more public showings a year.
Bonawit said while attending these events or workshops, you see joy from a range of youngsters to older adults.
He said the members not only receive joy from creating their life-like scenes with model trains, but when they see the faces of those admiring them.
“They see something like this, something incredible with the use of technology and how you can bring that to life,” he said. “I noticed one thing over at shows. Like, say the kids, their eyes light up and they get a kick out of it. But then you’ll see that the guys that are in their 50s, 60s and 70s go like, ‘Wow, maybe I could build something like that.'”
President of the club, Todd Livengood, said anyone can be a member of the group from youngsters to adults.
Livengood said they do have a junior membership club and would love for more children to be a part.
They are also seeking more women who would enjoy the hobby.
