The story of the Wonderland Railway
Few things in this world can cause an instant smile. A model train is one of those rare magical things. We at the Paramount have made new friends, created new partners, and had a really wonderful time in quest of our own Wonderland Railway. We found that trains are attached to our heartstrings and that area train enthusiasts can be found at every turn. Local industries have relied on the railroad for generations. We have memories of fathers and grandfathers working in the shops and on the rails. Our family members tell nostalgic stories of hopping a train to here or there. Model trains somehow link our hearts to those memories. Perhaps that is why so many people call the hobby their own. The model train was created in hopes to make new memories at the Festival of Trees. From the original concept, to the design and construction, the train has been a labor of joy. The “train men and women,” your conductors, operators and engineers, have also spared a few smiles along the way. Each volunteer has brought expertise to the Paramount. The result is a careful mix of model train hobby, holiday spirit and artistic license.
In December 2004 the idea was conceived to put a train layout in the balcony to give the children a greater thrill at the festival. Don Maxwell, the resident expert of all things trains in our area, was consulted to determine if a layout was feasible for the balcony. He laughed and said “sure, if you can get the platform built.” He seemed to think that the first step was the most difficult. But for Pam Jones, Paramount volunteer, anything was possible. Within a month, she had ACTC on board to complete the task. It just so happened that they had a two week break in their construction plans and could fit us in! A surprised, but excited, Don Maxwell enlisted Chris Lockwood, then 16 years old, to assist in the planning of the track layout. Their passion was for G-gauge, or Garden Railroad, trains. They planned the layout to the large scale, knowing that it was the most appropriate for the expansive Paramount Arts Center. Chris and Don procured the track and designed the track system.
Kim Jenkins, a landscape architect and former O-gauge owner, agreed to design and manage the artistry of the layout. She would eventually choose all structures for the layout and determine placement of every structure on the layout. Much of the beauty and creativity of the entire project is a testament to her talent. Chuck Lanthorne, ACTC Carpentry educator, brought his class to the Paramount to measure and check floor levels, then busily got to work on the intricate construction of a platform that would span 52 feet of the balcony and extend 11 feet. The layout was created with two sets of legs. One set is the “flat legs,” which allows volunteers to work on the platform on level ground during the summers. The other set is the “theatre legs” which create the level platform. The design also had to break down, be transported through narrow doorways, on elevators and then be stored. Within a month the layout was delivered with a smile to the basement of the Pendleton Arts Center and assembled by the ACTC students. Quickly our volunteers set to work on laying the track. In the mean time, Christy Reaves and Pam Jones were running around the area handing building diagrams and kits to strangers they heard might have the talent, time and energy to complete the complex buildings.
Many new friends were made during this time as strangers came together on a common cause..... to get this crazy idea ready for the Festival of Trees in November 2005. The first year was a thrill! Mountains were built, tunnels and constructed and nine original structures: NP & S Roundhouse, Gardner Sand And Water Facility, Wonderland Station, Chinn Inn, Adkins Farmhouse, the Barn, Santa’s House, Hobby Lobby inspired the holiday “trees,” the trains were running and the people were amazed!!!! We did it!! And then.... We got more ideas and we pursued them. And these volunteers were creative! The idea was to send trestles out into the box seats and send a bridge over the 12 foot stairwell. Wow! Let’s do it! So we did. We needed more space to create the new addition. Friends as the Bellefonte Centre agreed to loan us the space for nine months, and we moved the layout into the facility to plan and build. We found a volunteer who had created hundreds of the trestles for his own layout, a customer of our chosen building designer, Bob Kelley of Garden Texture. This amazing trestle builder lives in Washington D. C. and worked by phone to understand the plan. Rich Florence set to work building the trestles, and then drove to Ashland to work with our volunteers to assemble the fantastic trestle system. Our volunteers also decided that we needed a yard for the trains to change. We added new buildings ....Harold Vallance, another G-gauge owner, created the yard and added it to the layout. By now, the layout was 20 feet wide, with the new yard and trestles.
We set up the layout in 2006 with much fanfare, and once again delighted the crowd at the festival. But of course, the volunteers were still coming up with more ideas! So we set to work on the new plans. In 2007, we moved a mountain. The big mountain, which holds the farm, was moved toward the center of the layout to allow the outside loop to extend the full length of the layout and allow people to get closer to the train. We added a new track electrical system, which required us to have the layout up during the summer. This time we called our friends at KYOVA Mall. They had space for us and we enjoyed the mall shoppers stopping by to see our work! The yard was enlarged to its fullest capacity and the layout was then 22 feet wide. We added new buildings........ and saw the largest crowd ever attend the festival, nearly 13,000 people.
In 2009 we just could not resist the thought of a coal tipple. So we started planning. During our first year Ashland Inc. had donated the train tunnel from their train layout that used to be displayed in the Ashland Oil headquarters, but we had never used the treasure. But finally, the destiny of the tunnel was revealed, as Kim Jenkins designed a way to use the tunnel with the new coal tipple. The mountain was constructed in three days during festival set-up, and was installed by a strong crew of men just as the first school tours were entering the building! What an amazing feat from the construction perspective. The mountain is built over the last remaining box seat, and stands nearly 20 feet above the main level of the theatre. For safety, it is physically tied to the main layout, requiring the knowledge of our talented resident carpenter, Sonny Smith.
For all the thrills of 2009, there were equal amounts of agony. The track wiring system created in 2007 was not compatible with the new computerized engines purchased to run on the layout. In the years earlier, we had used various types of engines, but most were our volunteer’s engines. What we realized was that we were literally putting thousands of miles on “other people’s” engines. We had to buy our own engines, and when we did, they were computerized engines which have sound ability and are controlled by remote controls. But we quickly realized during setup that the engines would not run on the existing wiring system. The delays to decoration continued as Chris Lockwood and Joe Rosenthal, our dedicated volunteers, worked with the manufacturers to correct the issue. On the last night before school tours entered the Paramount, four volunteers worked all night to have the trains running. It was a miracle, but it took a huge toll on the crew.
For 2010, our volunteers had many goals. First and foremost was to design a track wiring system that would not fail us. With five years under our belt, we also knew that the light and power system for the remainder of the layout also needed to be improved. Imagine caving.... for days, crawling under the platform, and above and around the theatre seats. Imagine how much your back hurts! One volunteer especially, the power and light volunteer, Don Kemper knew the pain. For five years, he was the sole provider of this activity, and fortunately, he had a plan! Instead of the hundreds of feet of electrical cords, wires, connectors, we should have a “plug and play” system that allowed for the easiest connections for the intricate electrical plan. But it would require many hours of work. So once again, we called our friends at the Bellefonte Centre. We were in luck, there was one space left not rented, and we could use itThe track system was about to get amazing. Joe Rosenthal and Chris Lockwood had an ambitious plan to add all new switches to the track and a new yard design which would allow more train activity in the yard to keep our very demanding festival goers happy! And if it was not enough to redo two entire systems, for track and power, we decided that we should add a few things, like thirteen new structures, a new valley addition between the Jenkins Mountain and the main layout and a chairlift! We had our work cut out for us, thousands of hours of work actually.
But another opportunity was presented that we could not allow to pass. The Rail City Hardware store, a beloved icon of our community, was closing and they had not sold the track system that everyone enjoyed. So the Paramount asked if the track could forever be preserved for the hearts of so many people in our area. Scott and Beck Darling graciously donated the track. A crew of our volunteers arrived at an empty hardware store, and within a few hours, had the track down and ready to move to our workshop. But one of the neatest aspects was that the original builder of the Rail City track was also one of our special construction friends from 2006, Larry Janseck, the co-builder of the 13 foot bridge. It seemed like the Rail City Line was meant to be forever a part of our layout, so we modified the track construction and added the third, level to the Wonderland Railway. The layout is now 28 feet wide and is over 1,100 square feet of pure joy! However, we had many volunteers, and many more were dreaming up new things. One very important thing...... the train needed a skirt that would not detract from the beauty of the layout. For all the prior years we had used black plastic skirting. But by 2009, with the addition of the Jenkins Mountain, we knew the black skirt was an eyesore that required our attention. So we purchased the burgundy material and found volunteers who agreed to sew the 150 feet of skirting, Marlena Ross, Georgina Chinn and Betty Moore. And the mountain..... it needed professional help to find a way to beautify the highly visible skirt area. If you think murals in Ashland Kentucky, you think Melanie Osborne and Denise Spaulding. And they came through with shining colors!
The mountain mural was created ... In 2011, we found one more spot that we could add a new section! The center aisle under the bridges was ready for development. In “Hale’s Canyon” you find a fishing lake, a power house, cooling tower and smoke stack! Those tall stacks were turned on a lathe at 1:00 in the morning by two of our amazing carpenters, Charlie Hale and Sonny Smith – how is that for dedication! The power house, inspired from an abandoned building in Kenova, is complete with generators and equipment – all thanks to Bob Kaulius and his creativity.
2012 brought only a few changes. We needed more space in the yard, for our ever expanding collection of cars, boxcar sponsors and engines (and for some of the volunteers’ own toys). We added the “yard thumb” – can’t find any better words to describe it! Additionally, lights were placed above the layout, to allow our guests to better see all of the hard work. We added a bakery... with hand made baked goods from a local artist, Jennifer Hamilton - the details are so incredible! The school house, along with a re-positioned moving swing set, were placed on the layout at the very last second – with the paint still wet!
In 2013, new details include the Vernon’s Livery with sleigh rides and Charlie’s Hill sled rides. Both are the creation of our man who puts things in motion! The sleigh rides are running on HO track - with a custom-made sleigh and modified horse with actual moving legs! We could not of created an HO system without bringing in a specialist, many thanks to Vernon Young who saved the day! The sleds are another feat of motion magic! Watch the people going up and down the hill! So many fun things to see on the Wonderland Railway! So how do the volunteers do it? Well, lots of free coffee and donuts from Tim Horton’s helps. And then there is talent. Each of our volunteers has something unique they bring to the project. Each is equally important. But as the end of the long summers, it is time to show off the hard work.On the first day of assembly, we build the platform, connecting all electrical and lighting as each piece of the platform is placed. The next step is to “tape the platform,” which covers all the cracks so that the snow does not seep away. The track crew begins laying track while the construction crew attaches the bump-outs, the trestle system, the mountain, the valley, the canyon and the Rail City Line. Buildings are placed and remaining light systems are wired. Systems are tested, ballast is laid, decorations are added, snow is placed and then, five days and long nights later .... Magic. Many of our volunteers are members of the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society and drive long distances to work on this special project. We have retired CSX employees, engineers, bankers, people from all over our community who love the work, the companionship, the Paramount, or the trains! They give what time they can so that so many people can enjoy a holiday tradition with their families and friends
In December 2004 the idea was conceived to put a train layout in the balcony to give the children a greater thrill at the festival. Don Maxwell, the resident expert of all things trains in our area, was consulted to determine if a layout was feasible for the balcony. He laughed and said “sure, if you can get the platform built.” He seemed to think that the first step was the most difficult. But for Pam Jones, Paramount volunteer, anything was possible. Within a month, she had ACTC on board to complete the task. It just so happened that they had a two week break in their construction plans and could fit us in! A surprised, but excited, Don Maxwell enlisted Chris Lockwood, then 16 years old, to assist in the planning of the track layout. Their passion was for G-gauge, or Garden Railroad, trains. They planned the layout to the large scale, knowing that it was the most appropriate for the expansive Paramount Arts Center. Chris and Don procured the track and designed the track system.
Kim Jenkins, a landscape architect and former O-gauge owner, agreed to design and manage the artistry of the layout. She would eventually choose all structures for the layout and determine placement of every structure on the layout. Much of the beauty and creativity of the entire project is a testament to her talent. Chuck Lanthorne, ACTC Carpentry educator, brought his class to the Paramount to measure and check floor levels, then busily got to work on the intricate construction of a platform that would span 52 feet of the balcony and extend 11 feet. The layout was created with two sets of legs. One set is the “flat legs,” which allows volunteers to work on the platform on level ground during the summers. The other set is the “theatre legs” which create the level platform. The design also had to break down, be transported through narrow doorways, on elevators and then be stored. Within a month the layout was delivered with a smile to the basement of the Pendleton Arts Center and assembled by the ACTC students. Quickly our volunteers set to work on laying the track. In the mean time, Christy Reaves and Pam Jones were running around the area handing building diagrams and kits to strangers they heard might have the talent, time and energy to complete the complex buildings.
Many new friends were made during this time as strangers came together on a common cause..... to get this crazy idea ready for the Festival of Trees in November 2005. The first year was a thrill! Mountains were built, tunnels and constructed and nine original structures: NP & S Roundhouse, Gardner Sand And Water Facility, Wonderland Station, Chinn Inn, Adkins Farmhouse, the Barn, Santa’s House, Hobby Lobby inspired the holiday “trees,” the trains were running and the people were amazed!!!! We did it!! And then.... We got more ideas and we pursued them. And these volunteers were creative! The idea was to send trestles out into the box seats and send a bridge over the 12 foot stairwell. Wow! Let’s do it! So we did. We needed more space to create the new addition. Friends as the Bellefonte Centre agreed to loan us the space for nine months, and we moved the layout into the facility to plan and build. We found a volunteer who had created hundreds of the trestles for his own layout, a customer of our chosen building designer, Bob Kelley of Garden Texture. This amazing trestle builder lives in Washington D. C. and worked by phone to understand the plan. Rich Florence set to work building the trestles, and then drove to Ashland to work with our volunteers to assemble the fantastic trestle system. Our volunteers also decided that we needed a yard for the trains to change. We added new buildings ....Harold Vallance, another G-gauge owner, created the yard and added it to the layout. By now, the layout was 20 feet wide, with the new yard and trestles.
We set up the layout in 2006 with much fanfare, and once again delighted the crowd at the festival. But of course, the volunteers were still coming up with more ideas! So we set to work on the new plans. In 2007, we moved a mountain. The big mountain, which holds the farm, was moved toward the center of the layout to allow the outside loop to extend the full length of the layout and allow people to get closer to the train. We added a new track electrical system, which required us to have the layout up during the summer. This time we called our friends at KYOVA Mall. They had space for us and we enjoyed the mall shoppers stopping by to see our work! The yard was enlarged to its fullest capacity and the layout was then 22 feet wide. We added new buildings........ and saw the largest crowd ever attend the festival, nearly 13,000 people.
In 2009 we just could not resist the thought of a coal tipple. So we started planning. During our first year Ashland Inc. had donated the train tunnel from their train layout that used to be displayed in the Ashland Oil headquarters, but we had never used the treasure. But finally, the destiny of the tunnel was revealed, as Kim Jenkins designed a way to use the tunnel with the new coal tipple. The mountain was constructed in three days during festival set-up, and was installed by a strong crew of men just as the first school tours were entering the building! What an amazing feat from the construction perspective. The mountain is built over the last remaining box seat, and stands nearly 20 feet above the main level of the theatre. For safety, it is physically tied to the main layout, requiring the knowledge of our talented resident carpenter, Sonny Smith.
For all the thrills of 2009, there were equal amounts of agony. The track wiring system created in 2007 was not compatible with the new computerized engines purchased to run on the layout. In the years earlier, we had used various types of engines, but most were our volunteer’s engines. What we realized was that we were literally putting thousands of miles on “other people’s” engines. We had to buy our own engines, and when we did, they were computerized engines which have sound ability and are controlled by remote controls. But we quickly realized during setup that the engines would not run on the existing wiring system. The delays to decoration continued as Chris Lockwood and Joe Rosenthal, our dedicated volunteers, worked with the manufacturers to correct the issue. On the last night before school tours entered the Paramount, four volunteers worked all night to have the trains running. It was a miracle, but it took a huge toll on the crew.
For 2010, our volunteers had many goals. First and foremost was to design a track wiring system that would not fail us. With five years under our belt, we also knew that the light and power system for the remainder of the layout also needed to be improved. Imagine caving.... for days, crawling under the platform, and above and around the theatre seats. Imagine how much your back hurts! One volunteer especially, the power and light volunteer, Don Kemper knew the pain. For five years, he was the sole provider of this activity, and fortunately, he had a plan! Instead of the hundreds of feet of electrical cords, wires, connectors, we should have a “plug and play” system that allowed for the easiest connections for the intricate electrical plan. But it would require many hours of work. So once again, we called our friends at the Bellefonte Centre. We were in luck, there was one space left not rented, and we could use itThe track system was about to get amazing. Joe Rosenthal and Chris Lockwood had an ambitious plan to add all new switches to the track and a new yard design which would allow more train activity in the yard to keep our very demanding festival goers happy! And if it was not enough to redo two entire systems, for track and power, we decided that we should add a few things, like thirteen new structures, a new valley addition between the Jenkins Mountain and the main layout and a chairlift! We had our work cut out for us, thousands of hours of work actually.
But another opportunity was presented that we could not allow to pass. The Rail City Hardware store, a beloved icon of our community, was closing and they had not sold the track system that everyone enjoyed. So the Paramount asked if the track could forever be preserved for the hearts of so many people in our area. Scott and Beck Darling graciously donated the track. A crew of our volunteers arrived at an empty hardware store, and within a few hours, had the track down and ready to move to our workshop. But one of the neatest aspects was that the original builder of the Rail City track was also one of our special construction friends from 2006, Larry Janseck, the co-builder of the 13 foot bridge. It seemed like the Rail City Line was meant to be forever a part of our layout, so we modified the track construction and added the third, level to the Wonderland Railway. The layout is now 28 feet wide and is over 1,100 square feet of pure joy! However, we had many volunteers, and many more were dreaming up new things. One very important thing...... the train needed a skirt that would not detract from the beauty of the layout. For all the prior years we had used black plastic skirting. But by 2009, with the addition of the Jenkins Mountain, we knew the black skirt was an eyesore that required our attention. So we purchased the burgundy material and found volunteers who agreed to sew the 150 feet of skirting, Marlena Ross, Georgina Chinn and Betty Moore. And the mountain..... it needed professional help to find a way to beautify the highly visible skirt area. If you think murals in Ashland Kentucky, you think Melanie Osborne and Denise Spaulding. And they came through with shining colors!
The mountain mural was created ... In 2011, we found one more spot that we could add a new section! The center aisle under the bridges was ready for development. In “Hale’s Canyon” you find a fishing lake, a power house, cooling tower and smoke stack! Those tall stacks were turned on a lathe at 1:00 in the morning by two of our amazing carpenters, Charlie Hale and Sonny Smith – how is that for dedication! The power house, inspired from an abandoned building in Kenova, is complete with generators and equipment – all thanks to Bob Kaulius and his creativity.
2012 brought only a few changes. We needed more space in the yard, for our ever expanding collection of cars, boxcar sponsors and engines (and for some of the volunteers’ own toys). We added the “yard thumb” – can’t find any better words to describe it! Additionally, lights were placed above the layout, to allow our guests to better see all of the hard work. We added a bakery... with hand made baked goods from a local artist, Jennifer Hamilton - the details are so incredible! The school house, along with a re-positioned moving swing set, were placed on the layout at the very last second – with the paint still wet!
In 2013, new details include the Vernon’s Livery with sleigh rides and Charlie’s Hill sled rides. Both are the creation of our man who puts things in motion! The sleigh rides are running on HO track - with a custom-made sleigh and modified horse with actual moving legs! We could not of created an HO system without bringing in a specialist, many thanks to Vernon Young who saved the day! The sleds are another feat of motion magic! Watch the people going up and down the hill! So many fun things to see on the Wonderland Railway! So how do the volunteers do it? Well, lots of free coffee and donuts from Tim Horton’s helps. And then there is talent. Each of our volunteers has something unique they bring to the project. Each is equally important. But as the end of the long summers, it is time to show off the hard work.On the first day of assembly, we build the platform, connecting all electrical and lighting as each piece of the platform is placed. The next step is to “tape the platform,” which covers all the cracks so that the snow does not seep away. The track crew begins laying track while the construction crew attaches the bump-outs, the trestle system, the mountain, the valley, the canyon and the Rail City Line. Buildings are placed and remaining light systems are wired. Systems are tested, ballast is laid, decorations are added, snow is placed and then, five days and long nights later .... Magic. Many of our volunteers are members of the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society and drive long distances to work on this special project. We have retired CSX employees, engineers, bankers, people from all over our community who love the work, the companionship, the Paramount, or the trains! They give what time they can so that so many people can enjoy a holiday tradition with their families and friends