What started out as a donation of a model train collection by one Kingsport resident has grown into an enormous assortment of trains, track, scenery and buildings occupying much of the third floor of the Lynn View Community Center.

If you’re a railroad enthusiast, you really should pay a visit to the center and see for yourself what the Kingsport Model Trains Project is all about.

I recently spent some time at Lynn View talking with the project’s president Doug Paton, who offered me a guided tour of the collection, the history behind the project and what the future may hold for the project.

The Kingsport Model Trains Project began about seven years ago with a donation from Mrs. Nedra McChrystal. Her husband had passed away and she didn’t know what else to do with his personal collection of model trains and scenery.

The collection made its way to Engage Kingsport, who in turn showcased it in a storefront at the corner of Broad and Center for a couple of Christmases. Volunteers were then enlisted to help Engage Kingsport do something with the collection and find it a permanent home.

Thus, the Kingsport Model Trains Project was born.

“The older generation collects model trains, owns them and operates them. The younger generation are fascinated by the trains and love to see the big things running by,” Paton said. “Which is why we like to say, it’s the under 8 and over 80 who really love the trains.”

In the years since, the project has received more model train donations from the community, typically when someone passes away or is unable to maintain their collection. Donations are kept for at least a couple of years, then may be sold off, if need be, to support the maintenance of the main displays.

“All of the trains do run, though some may have taken time to repair and get up and running again,” Paton said. “If we need something, we’ll buy it or repair something that’s broken, and we sell any excess stuff we have to cover the cost of something we might need.”

Most of the third floor at the Lynn View Community Center is occupied by the project with large, multi-table train dioramas on display. The trains are O scale, N, HO and S. The project has a G scale train, but it’s not on display yet.

One of the more notable dioramas in the collection is the O Gauge Santa Train. As the name implies, the diorama is of the historic Santa Train, detailed scenery and key stops along the train’s journey from Shelby, Kentucky to the Model City.

“We took things from the past and our memories of the train and put them into the diorama,” Paton said.

Volunteers can be found at Lynn View every Tuesday working on the Kingsport Model Trains Project, making repairs and adding features to the dioramas. The rooms are open for visitors on the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with every train running the tracks. Dedicated volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions about the project or about the model train hobby in general.

Someday, Paton said the group would like to have a permanent, more prominent home downtown to display the trains for the community.

“The project is about history for one thing. The country was built on trains, so that fascinates us to begin with. Bringing back what used to be,” Paton said. “Then, there’s the locomotion of it. It allows you to be a carpenter, an electrician, an artist and a historian. That sums it all up.”

For more information about the Kingsport Model Train Project be sure to check out their Facebook page or pay Lynn View a visit. The organization has a special open house coming up later this month on November 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with special giveaways.