Photo courtesy of the City of Kennesaw

By Mark Woolsey

What’s old is new again at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in downtown Kennesaw. This facet of history will be on proud display during the “Trains, Trains, Trains” model railroad show on Jan. 25 and 26.

Museum officials spent around a year accomplishing a meticulous restoration of their Southern Railway caboose manufactured in 1975.

Museum director Richard Banz says the caboose had been sitting on the grounds since the 1990s and had had routine maintenance. Much more recently, he says, the decision was made to do the full-scale restoration as “given the great originality of the artifact (especially how remarkable that the inside was virtually untouched) it made sense to restore it into a quality and accurate historic exhibit.”

 The following painstaking process included exterior metal fabrication, painting, replacing the windows, restoration of interior furnishings, unlocking lockers and cabinetry, and redoing exterior metalwork.

He says they also re-stenciled the original identifying numbers of the caboose on the framework.

It’s a true piece of transportation history. And it’s almost certainly one you won’t see as you sit at a crossing while a freight rumbles by.

Banz and historic railroad websites say cabooses were largely phased out in the 1980s and 1990s because railroads began to use electronic devices instead for safety and monitoring purposes. For a small additional fee, attendees can step out and take a look at the restored artifact.

 Inside the museum, a railroad buff’s delight awaits. Showgoers will be able to view 20 or more model railroad setups—elaborate layouts featuring detailed landscapes, towns, and railroad features such as signaling systems.

The Piedmont region of the National Model Railroad Association will be among those exhibiting, and longtime member and ex-officer Sally Bando will be volunteering.

She says she and her husband have three layouts at home, all following a Wild West theme: two larger “Garden” styles and one smaller HO gauge variety.

“My primary job, you could say is (I) decorate and accessorize, “Bando explains, handling putting together people, buildings and theming, “While my husband handles track maintenance, electrical and repair of engines when they decide they’re not going to go. We work very well together.”

She’s also enthused about what the hobby can teach kids, such as electrical engineering, carpentry, and design, as they set up landscapes. That might help pry them away from “computer stuff,” she asserts.

Along the same line, says Banz, a number of the exhibits are designed to be interactive, so the youngsters can operate the trains.

That seems an important consideration given that some enthusiasts worry that it’s a hobby in decline. Among the considerations are an aging base of model buffs and the expense of putting together a layout.

Asked what the attraction of the hobby is, Bando says “it’s just getting out. “We are both retired. It’s getting out and having fun and friendships.”

WHERE: Trains, Trains, Trains at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, 2829 Cherry St. NW, Kennesaw.

WHEN: Jan. 25 and 26, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission $10 adults, $8 seniors 65 and over, and $5 for children 3-17, active duty, reserves, guard and retired military personnel, ID required. University students are also $5. ID is also required for students.