The H.B. Plant Railroad Historical Society will host the 23rd annual Train Show and Swap Meet Feb. 9, at the HCC John R. Trinkle Center.
The show will feature more than 150 tables of merchandise, 70 vendors, hourly drawings for prizes, and five different modules. Keith Marr, of Operation Life Saver, will speak about train safety. And for the kids, LEGO trains will travel the tracks.
“When you hear the kids crying around the LEGOs, you know they’re being taken home,” Gilbert Thomas, chair of the event, said.
The Florida Chapter of Morse Code Operators also will host demonstrations of the telegraph.
“It’s important to show the progression of technology,” Thomas said. “Some kids have probably never even heard of a telegraph.”
The society was founded in 1980, in Lakeland. It moved in 1985, to the 1914 Plant City High School Community Building on North Collins Street. The show used to take place at the 1914 building, but it outgrew the space.
The society’s headquarters are still at the 1914 Building, and it has worked hard to create a world of trains inside. In fact, it is a destination for many visitors. The society holds a swap meet the third Saturday in March, an open house during Pioneer Day and hosts a number of tours.
The club also has developed the Carwin A. Baxter Museum, which boasts more than 1,500 memorabilia and artifacts that reminds visitors that Plant City has roots in railroads since 1883.
The library has more than 4,800 pieces of reference material, including copies of magazines, periodicals, books, manuscripts and other railroad related material. Membership is the only requirement for checking out material.
In addition to restoring several classrooms, the society also has built five operating layouts in some rooms. The layouts in the 1914 Building include G, O-27, N and two HO.
The HO layout is of the Mineral Valley, which includes a 1900-era replica of Plant City, constructed after analyzing old photographs from the East Hillsborough Historical Societies Archives. The O-27 layout is 60 square feet and designed to be operated by young visitors.
The society also maintains the Raymond R. Myers museum at the Historical Depot Visitors Center. Opened in 1997, the museum is full of railroad history, both presented in words and pictures, along with a replica telegraph and ticket office from the 1900 era and an HO layout depicting Plant City at that type.
The society has 50 members.
Thomas first fell in love with trains as a child. Thomas lost interest in the hobby during college, but after his kids were born, his love resurfaced.
“We always tend to model what we remember,” Thomas said. “We can create and control it. We can pick our favorite railroad, favorite town, and set it up the way we remember.”
Thomas is looking forward to the show.
“I like to see the merchandise the vendors bring,” he said. “Sometimes, you haven’t seen a piece of equipment for years. And it reminds you of childhood. That’s what it’s about.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
23rd annual Train Show and Swap Meet
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 9
WHERE: HCC John R. Trinkle Center,1206 N. Park Road, Plant City
COST: $6; children under 17 are free