Kids, grown-ups gaze in wonder at model trains in East Farmingdale

A mechanical paradise of wheels, whistles and electricity mesmerized grown-ups and children alike Saturday as the TMB Train Club opened its doors to the public in East Farmingdale.

Over the course of four hours, 854 visitors gathered around the tracks in a converted industrial space -- the first of eight open houses on select weekends through Feb. 1.

Tyler Bartsch, 8, gazed at a miniature locomotive chugging and churning smoke, then watched in wonder as another Lionel model train raced along an 800-foot stretch of curving track.

"I like the subway trains the best," he said. "They go fast."

Thea and Tom Bartsch, of West Islip, said their son's love of trains brought them there, but they loved it, too.

"It makes you feel like a kid," said Thea Bartsch, a 27-year-old bartender, who was impressed with the commitment of the 70 club members who built a miniature world, complete with tiny, detailed buildings, trees and people.

"These guys took their own money and made something for everyone else to enjoy," she said.

The club moved to the location in March 2013 after the space they rented in North Lindenhurst was sold. Since then, club members have filled 4,000 square feet with a layout that runs seven trains at once.

"I don't think it ever gets finished," said Steve Scagnelli, 60, an accountant from Plainview who serves as club secretary. "You can take it apart and make changes."

Scagnelli estimated the value of the display, not including members' trains, at $100,000 in wood, nails, wires, tracks, landscaping and models. For members, it's a chance to run their trains on a huge track.

"No one's got 4,000 square feet in their basement," Scagnelli said.

Every year, between Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl, the club invites the public to view the trains for free.

Steve Kreisler, 65, of Bay Shore, joined the club in 2011 after he retired from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority where he served as a subway maintenance yard superintendent.

"I loved my job; they gave me the biggest set of electric trains in the world to play with," Kreisler said.

How is his retirement life different? "I get to run the trains here," he said.