By Tim A. Rutherford
Coastal Parent

If you go Coastal Rail Buffs' 15th Annual Model Railroad and Train Show Jan. 17-18, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Savannah Mall in the former Montgomery Ward store $4, $3 seniors and students, free for children under 12

Big trains, small trains and even really small trains will be in the spotlight at the 15th annual Coastal Rail Buffs' Model Railroad and Train Show.

Both serious, and longtime collectors, as well as newcomers to the hobby, will find trains and track, supplies and lots of ideas at this year's show, according to Rail Buffs' President Ken Huffman.

More than 65 exhibitors will feature more than 160 tables of model railroad equipment and accessories - everything from trains to scale structures, landscaping supplies and books and videos. All scales will be represented, from tiny N scale, to HO, S, O and G scales. Last year, more than 2,200 model railroad enthusiasts attended the two-day show.

Proceeds from the event fund projects of the Coastal Rail Buffs at the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, where the club also maintains two model railroad layouts as part of the historic site's interpretation of Savannah's railroad heritage.

And the show is an excellent way for parents and children to explore the hobby, learn about the different scales and choose a level of modeling in which to become involved.

The hobby today has come a long way from the simple ovals of track that were so popular in the 1940s and 1950s.

Model railroad enthusiasts, according to Andy Sperandeo, executive editor of the 205,000-circulation Model Railroader magazine, spent more than $500 million last year. Sperandeo estimates that more than 500,000 hobbyists are modeling all scales in North America alone - and are served by more than 800 hobby shops. The magazine's parent, Kalmbach Publishing Co., distributes its magazines - also including Trains, Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railroading - through that network of shops.

In his post at Model Railroader, Sperandeo is also spokesman for an industry-wide campaign to encourage growth of the hobby. The project, dubbed "The World's Greatest Hobby," is supported by major hobby groups, like model train manufacturer Kato USA, Kalmbach, Model Railroad Industry Association and William K. Walthers Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of model railroad supplies - as well as individual enthusiasts, clubs and other manufacturers, suppliers and hobby shops.

According to Huffman, the event will host exhibition layouts representing all the major scales. On exhibit will be Savannahian Lou Sommers N scale layout; two HO layouts - one from a Florida club and the other a private exhibition layout; an O-27 scale layout built by Cal Blum of South Carolina; Richard Hyde's G scale Thomas the Tank Engine layout; and a modular layout created by Atlanta-area modelers who work in On30 scale - O scale on HO scale track to depict narrow gauge railroading. The Kingdomville Kid's Corner, designed for 6-12 year olds, features a railroad town built entirely of Legos.