CB Train Club Workday

Michael Byle
Oct 7
2 min read

Kenny and Mike getting started . Note the large mountain on the left. The blue building is a lumber mill built from popsicle sticks.

The Colonial Beach Train Club had a workday last week to help out a fellow Modeler. Mike Fayad is a veteran and longtime model railroader. As he has been getting older, it has been more difficult for him to maintain his layout and it had not been run in a number of months. The CB Train Club got together to help him out. The work involved cleaning the track; of which there is a lot; and repairing some electrical issues with the track. Five of us came out and went to work.

Mike's layout is located in a outbuilding near his house and occupies more than 1500 square feet with many hand-built structures, a huge mountain, industrial yards and more. Members crawled over and under the layout to clean all of the track and resolve some continuity problems that cause the train to stall at various locations. We replaced a few sections of track, cleaned locomotive wheels and got the trains running again. Mike was happy to get his layout running again. We may have another workday to help him modify his trackwork to enable multiple train operation, but that is for another day.

Quarry Pit and gravel loading facility on Mikes layout.

Pepsi plant with loading dock on Mike's layout

Mike has a very interesting layout with complex trackwork serving several industries. He uses many found objects in his buildings including coffee cans for a tank farm, and a lumbermill made from popsicle sticks. He has an eye for creating visually interesting scenes making it all hang together. We were all happy to get to know his layout and got to get our hands busy in a hobby we love.

The Colonial Beach Train Club meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm at CB Train Junction: 509 Colonial Avenue, Colonial Beach VA. We welcome anyone with an interest in trains to join us. You need not be a model railroader to join, just have an interest in trains. The club aims to support our community by participation in local events and creating opportunities for others to enjoy trains and model railroading. Stop by or call the store for more information, or just show up on meeting night. It is always a good time.