Semi-Annual Train Fair Rolls Into East Peoria
By: Alexandra Sutter WMBD/WYZZ
Updated: February 17, 2013
Twice a year the Peoria Train Fair
rolls into town... bringing with it a group of people who love to talk, and
teach, about trains. Organizer Ron Brown said, "There's a variety of
merchandise, glass ware, model trains, collector items. All sorts of that
stuff."
Brown said the train fair keeps
getting bigger. He expected more than 400 people at Sunday's event. He said so
many people are jumping on board because it's a hobby that's always changing
with time. "It's just the way things move. I look at it the way products move
this day and age, with the freight and the passenger trains have come a long
way."
For Jeff Mueth, it's not only a hobby,
but it's a profession. Mueth is a conductor and a collector.
He said, "I've always been an artistic
type of person and this is the best hobby that I've ever encountered in all of
my lifetime."
The Southern Illinois native takes his
collection on the road, always looking to find something special. Like many
collector's items, some of those things come with a hefty price tag. He explains
one of his favorite items. "This particular model, there was only 54 of those
imported and I paid over $2,000 for that locomotive."
For these train enthusiasts, the fair
is an event to do more than buy and sell. It's a place they can share their
love for the locomotive, and maybe even make plans to travel on one in the near
future.
The train fair is sponsored by the
Illinois Valley Model Railroad club and the River City Model Railroad club.
The next fair will be held in
November.
