The Villages - December 2017 - 14

Mathis remembers a childhood Christmas when he
too was elated to get his hands on his first train set.
"I'll never forget that day in 1956," he said. "I was
thrilled. I was one of the few kids who took care of my
things, so of course, I still have the train."
Mathis' story echoes that of his friends.
"I got older, discovered girls and cars and got away from
trains for some time," he said. "But after I got married
and had my first daughter, I wanted to bring back those
days. So I set up a train around our Christmas tree. I went
to extremes one year and put together an HO set. But it
was too intricate for the kids. I went back to my parents'
house then and got my old train set. It has a whistle and
an operating milk car."
A train show brought Mathis to The Villages decades
later.

14

DECEMBER 2017

"I saw they had a dedicated club," he said.
"Consequently, it was just another reason to move here.
The camaraderie we have, especially with the O-gauge
club, is just unbelievable."
Mathis said the annual Christmas show is a major
coordination effort.
"We met today to talk about upgrades and problems
that may arise - we put our heads together and set up
portions of our displays," he said. "But the ultimate setup
is at the show. We're using different electrical fittings, and
we have divided up some of our layouts to make them
easier to carry. But smaller pieces and lighter materials
means more wires and connections - more potential
problems," he explains.
On the day of the event, the club clocks 12 hours of
manual labor before the first train hits the tracks, Mathis
said. But each year the show gets better and its audience
gets bigger.
"We estimate around 7,000 people attended last year,"
Mathis said.
This year's show boasts a 37-by-23-foot O-gauge
layout, with rollercoasters, log flumes and plenty of
action.
"One member recreated his wife's hometown of
College Point, New York," Mathis said. "She comes to the
shows and highlights the features with her laser pointer."



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - December 2017

Contents
The Villages - December 2017 - Cover1
The Villages - December 2017 - Contents
The Villages - December 2017 - 1
The Villages - December 2017 - 2
The Villages - December 2017 - 3
The Villages - December 2017 - 4
The Villages - December 2017 - 5
The Villages - December 2017 - 6
The Villages - December 2017 - 7
The Villages - December 2017 - 8
The Villages - December 2017 - 9
The Villages - December 2017 - 10
The Villages - December 2017 - 11
The Villages - December 2017 - 12
The Villages - December 2017 - 13
The Villages - December 2017 - 14
The Villages - December 2017 - 15
The Villages - December 2017 - 16
The Villages - December 2017 - 17
The Villages - December 2017 - 18
The Villages - December 2017 - 19
The Villages - December 2017 - 20
The Villages - December 2017 - 21
The Villages - December 2017 - 22
The Villages - December 2017 - 23
The Villages - December 2017 - 24
The Villages - December 2017 - 25
The Villages - December 2017 - 26
The Villages - December 2017 - 27
The Villages - December 2017 - 28
The Villages - December 2017 - 29
The Villages - December 2017 - 30
The Villages - December 2017 - 31
The Villages - December 2017 - 32
The Villages - December 2017 - 33
The Villages - December 2017 - 34
The Villages - December 2017 - 35
The Villages - December 2017 - 36
The Villages - December 2017 - 37
The Villages - December 2017 - 38
The Villages - December 2017 - 39
The Villages - December 2017 - 40
The Villages - December 2017 - 41
The Villages - December 2017 - 42
The Villages - December 2017 - 43
The Villages - December 2017 - 44
The Villages - December 2017 - 45
The Villages - December 2017 - 46
The Villages - December 2017 - 47
The Villages - December 2017 - 48
The Villages - December 2017 - 49
The Villages - December 2017 - 50
The Villages - December 2017 - 51
The Villages - December 2017 - 52
The Villages - December 2017 - 53
The Villages - December 2017 - 54
The Villages - December 2017 - 55
The Villages - December 2017 - 56
The Villages - December 2017 - 57
The Villages - December 2017 - 58
The Villages - December 2017 - 59
The Villages - December 2017 - 60
The Villages - December 2017 - 61
The Villages - December 2017 - 62
The Villages - December 2017 - 63
The Villages - December 2017 - 64
The Villages - December 2017 - 65
The Villages - December 2017 - 66
The Villages - December 2017 - 67
The Villages - December 2017 - 68
The Villages - December 2017 - 69
The Villages - December 2017 - 70
The Villages - December 2017 - 71
The Villages - December 2017 - 72
The Villages - December 2017 - 73
The Villages - December 2017 - Cover4
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