BY BRUCE CHESSELL
Over the Family Day weekend a model train recreation of St. Jacobs and Aberfoyle in the 1950s was on display in St. Jacobs.
The model is an O scale model railway, which means that for every 1 inch of area the model condenses it to ¼ inch.
The model took up the entire room, and was displayed with all the lights on during the “day scene.” For the night scene the room’s lights were turned off and all of the lights in the miniature houses turned on.
Frank Dubery and his wife Gay began to construct the model in 1972 under the name Aberfoyle Junction. It was originally displayed in a barn at the Aberfoyle flea market.
The Duberys were soon joined by Chuck and Gwen Bard, Wayne Pfieffer and Craig Webb who helped complete the model and make it into what it is today.
The model was moved in 1982 to a steel building in Aberfoyle where it was completed and stayed until March 2012.
The display was then cut into 51 pieces and is now housed in St. Jacobs at 1440 King St. where it will be on display every weekend starting in March.
“It was a passion, a love and a hobby for these six people,” said Mike Craig, curator of the exhibit. “They were proud of what they did so they put it on display for the public.”
When asked why they decided to put it on display in St. Jacobs Craig said, “St. Jacobs was basically a really good fit for us. For one the people of St. Jacobs really wanted us here. They also had the perfect building with the perfect dimensions and perfect structure.”
The exhibit will be open again on March 8 and 9, and more info can be found at www.stjacobsmodelrailway.com. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for children, and the exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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