Model train enthusiast to speak in Shreve
Bill Moss will speak about his lifelong interest in model trains at an event hosted by the County Line Historical Society of Wayne and Holmes Counties.
At one time there were few things that occupied the fevered wishes of young boys more than finding a Lionel train set under the Christmas tree.
Bill Moss was one of those lucky kids. At age 5 he was given a start on model railroading. He will speak about his lifelong interest — he eschews the word “collector," preferring to say he simply plays with his trains — at an event hosted by the County Line Historical Society of Wayne and Holmes Counties on Saturday, Aug. 18 at 1 p.m. The free presentation is part of a regular speaker series held at the Ken Miller Museum.
“I think when you’re talking about collectors, it is more about acquiring more of what you like and adding to it, but I just like to play with the trains,” said Moss, who plans to speak about changes in the scale model trains produced by Lionel over time as well as a bit about the company itself. “I got Lionel trains at age 5 and 10 and played with them until college when other interests sort of took over. Then it all kind of came back into my life after that.”
Moss said Lionel has produced trains in several scales including O Gauge, Standard Gauge, HO Gauge and now S Gauge due to the company’s ownership of American Flyer.
“The company actually began in 1903 in New York. The trains used to be made primarily of tin but are now made of cast iron and plastic. That’s one change the company has made over the years. It’s not necessarily a bad or good thing. It’s just a change,” Moss said.
Lionel is now based in North Carolina.
Moss will speak about design changes in the various models and how current technology allows for some pretty remarkable offerings.
Moss said he is able to do maintenance and simple repairs on the trains he owns. “And if you do the maintenance, the need for repairs becomes less likely,” he said.
Just as Lionel scale model trains have changed over the last 115 years, so have the interests of children.
“There’s just so much for us to do now,” Moss said. “You can set a train down on a track and watch it go round and round, or you can get outside with a drone, fly it all over the neighborhood, take pictures, experience that kind of freedom. It really depends on what you’re exposed to as a child as well. If your parents or grandparents introduce you to something via a gift or an outing and they express interest, you tend to hang on to that as an adult.”
Moss said interest in scale model trains is centered on older men and women today as they were more likely to have seen and experienced a lot of trains as kids.
Jayne Neal of the County Line Historical Society said she’d heard of a very popular Lionel train presentation Moss had done for the Smithville Historical Society and asked him to come speak at the Ken Miller Museum.
“He’ll have trains with him and will explain differences in production through the years,” Neal said, adding that one more speaker will be featured this year who will cover secret codes sewn into Civil War-era quilts.
The Ken Miller Supply Oil and Gas Museum is at 7920 Shreve Road in Shreve.