Swift Current's Speedy Creek Model Railroad Club has pulled into the station for Family Fun Week.

Located at the Dickson Community Centre, the model railroad group is open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday this week.

The group has a 20-year history in Swift Current. Over those years, they have had members come and go, but a consistent cornerstone of the group has been their President, Pat Newburgh, who has been an avid modeller for over 60 years.

"When I was a kid, I don't know how old I was, 9 or 10, my dad brought up a train set for me," Newburgh reminisced. "And that's how we got started."

Newburgh and his brother built their first model railway in their attic as boys, and that simple beginning lead them to a lifelong passion for an art form that imitates life.

Over the years, the Speedy Creek Model Railroad has gone from that first attic to garages, and even into the local malls during the busier parts of their history. These days, they are located in the Dickson Community Centre on the lower level, where they occupy a room that they have filled with their expansive models and tracks.

One of the biggest pieces they have is their model mountain, which houses in its interior a helix railway, that takes trains from the lower tracks to the raised portions that run above the hip-high base level.

The model also features two smaller, but equally detailed mountains. One sits aside a basin and rail bridge on one side, with a full-fledged town on its other end. You can even spy a man fishing down in the basin.

The other mountain features a tourist destination, with a ski hill that has a variety of miniatures skiing, snowboarding, and even one rake truck maintaining the slopes for the winter enthusiasts. On the lower side, you can find a railway running through the mountain that passes by model coal mines. The mines feature a loading facility and tracks that allow for a bypass for non-coal running trains.

Other interesting pieces along the track length include railway yards, residential abodes, various rest stop stations and pop shops, and even a model of Swift Current's historic downtown train station's three buildings.

All in all, they have 4 trains of various lengths and models running around the track, and nine that are side-lined and ready for operation at any time.

The whole setup is well over 200 feet of track length and has taken years to build. Though it is far from finished. A comment made repeatedly was how there is always more to add with these models. Buildings, trees, power lines, roadways, vehicles, shops, and stops. Where ever your creativity sparks, you can take that inspiration into the hobby.

These days, the club has faced a slow down in newer members. The last two years put a stop to the key introduction method for such hobbies: meet-ups and shows.

"Normally we would have gone to a train show with the weekend by next weekend, but they've been cancelled [due to the pandemic]," explained Newburgh. "We got a phone call from Val [Choo Foo] and she asked if we would like to participate [in Family Fun Week]. So I asked the club members and they said yes."

The hope for this week's open showroom is to help gain some new members who take an interest.

They aren't hoping for only established hobbyists either, but are happy to have beginners, intermediates, and eager youthful participants who take an interest in the railroads that wind through the club room.

"We're hoping to grow. We don't have a big room here, but we'd like to get a few more members if anybody is interested," Newburgh offered. "We'll take kids. We've had them in the past and when they go off to college they seem to drop out, but we'll take from 10 on up. Around that age is good because they keep hold of the interest and they're capable of doing things without busting too much."

The Speedy Creek Model Railroad Club is a fantastic example of creativity, passion, and a lifelong love for something that can help to enrich a mind for many years beyond childhood.