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‘The Train Guys’ Are Back this Holiday Season!

by Dan Price
y father told me that it takes a steady hand to handle the being donated for children. It brings us joy."
controls of a train set: patience, precision, style. I think I asked Roy, the elder statesman of the
Mthat was his way of getting a few minutes longer on the group when it came to giving a train to a
train set himself. Of course, he let me have a go, the locomotive child, is there one story that stood out from
chugging down the track at a record pace. Good times. the others?
If it takes a steady hand to run the trains, it takes a steadier hand to About three years ago, The Train Guys refurbished a MASH 4077
rebuild one. That's where The Train Guys come in. train set based on the TV Show. The train was raffled off and won

Meet Roy Durrell, Jack Rettig, Stan Schwartz and Jeff Phelps, by a young boy who nearly jumped out his shoes with excitement
master model train enthusiasts, and regulars of The Allen Senior but was not nearly as excited as the boy's father. "That was my
Recreation Center. Each of the four gentlemen come from different favorite show as a kid! Let me see! Let me see!"
backgrounds and different careers. Each one brings unique ideas "The best part," Roy laughed, "was that boy walked out of there
and skills to the group. But there are two things that all four men with that box firmly in his hands, never letting his dad even touch
have in common; rebuilding old train sets and giving them to the box."
children at Christmas. And that's just what they do.
Sitting around a table at The Allen Senior Center, you can find The The Train Guys are setting up a holiday train show at Larkspur at
Twin Creeks this December. Along with Train displays the kids
Train Guys chatting it up while switching out parts and pieces, can operate and interact with, there will be a raffle where eight
replacing wires, and cleaning components, all from forgotten sets. lucky kids will go home with one of the train sets Roy and the
Over the years, they developed a network of people who donate guys put back together.
old trains and parts to the guys. Some of the items donated work
right off the bat; others are only good for spare parts. At some point, you have to ask the question, 'who's having more
It can take up to three broken trains that have been harvested for fun? The children who receive the train sets or the guys who give
them away?'
parts to make one working train.
But after the guys get their steady hands working, what was once Join The Train Guys at Larkspur at Twin Creeks 860 Junction
Drive in Allen December 7th and 14th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
junk is now a treasure, ready to be played with once again. and December 8th and 15th from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM for a great
"We love to do this," Durrell told me. "But we don't rebuild trains day with great trains.
for people just to take home. We only do this for trains that are

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