In the basement of Ron DeJong’s Ooltewah home is a vast, miniature world, a bygone era frozen in time — at least until DeJong flips a switch.
Then, the 1950s come alive again. It’s Christmastime in small-town America. The shoe-box-sized storefronts, draped with garland, light up; the fluorescent diner marquee blinks red; thumb-sized townspeople skate circles on a glass rink. The soul of the setup, a copper gold-plated New York Central passenger train, departs the depot and follows the track around the town, an endless loop of memories for the men who stand and watch.
Each month, local members of the Train Collectors Association meet up to talk trains and admire each other’s setup — almost always located in the rotating host’s basement. The TCA is one of the largest collecting societies in the world, with nearly 30,000 members. The Chattanooga chapter has around 22, mostly retired men in their 70s and 80s, who remember the toys from their youth.
Throughout the 1950s, electric trains were at the peak of their popularity. Considered engineering marvels, the miniature replicas were powered by a tiny motor controlled through wires on the underside of the track. Back then, Lionel brand reigned supreme, and DeJong has hundreds of their models stacked in boxes throughout his basement.