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Inside Track: Mid-Ohio Valley Railroad Club open house just the ticket for enthusiasts of all ages

By Brett Dunlap 4 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Area residents were all aboard for the Mid-Ohio Valley Model Railroad Club's annual Louie Creel Memorial Open House held Saturday in Parkersburg.

The MOVMRC opened its doors Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at NOE Office Equipment, located at 610 Green St. in Parkersburg, to allow the public to see the various model trains running and track layouts they had on hand and to answer people's questions about model railroading.

"Many people had some kind of trains when they were kids," said club member Tom Ratkovich. "This is nostalgic for them.

"We wanted people to be able to come here and be able to relive their youth."

They also wanted to show what kind of trains are available and what kind of track layouts could be done, he said.

Ratkovich has an interest in B&O trains from the 1950s, gets pictures and works to model his trains in that time period.

Club Vice President Todd Nolan has always had an interest in trains.

"I have always liked trains since I knew what a train was," he said. " It is for the public and just to have fun.

"We like to show off and show everyone what we are doing."

Model trains were running in HO, O, N and G scales on a variety of track layouts.

The event brought in over 225 people Saturday, up from 175 last year which members attributed to better weather that allowed people to come down.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Model Railroad Club has open house events in February, May, August and December. There is a show in October at West Virginia University at Parkersburg where people can buy model trains, tracks and other accessories.

Ratkovich said many people ask them about how much trains and tracks cost and where people can find them and how they can join the club. He also said many people were not aware of the setup the club has at the NOE building.

The club has been doing open houses since 2003.

Many of the people who came to the open house were impressed with what had been done locally and hoped more people would come down and see what they had.

Kevin Kratzer of Williamstown came down because of his two grandchildren who they have brought to the open houses regularly since they were little.

"They can appreciate it more," he said. "We really enjoy it too."

Although he had a train growing up, he was never really a train guy.

"Every kid has been fascinated by trains at some point," Kratzer said.

He now has an appreciation for the model trains on display and the track layouts the club put out.

"It is very nice and I am really impressed," Kratzer said.

Debbie Fenton of Parkersburg is a volunteer at the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau's Welcome Center near Point Park.

She came down with her husband Fred and grandson Elijah. Fenton said volunteers at the Welcome Center are encouraged to go to different events going on in the community so they can tell visitors about them and be informative if people might want to visit these attractions.

She was impressed with the trains, the layouts and the care that was put into putting the event together.

"This is my first time here," Fenton said. "We are loving it."

Eric Corder of Parkersburg and his wife Lori brought their 5-year-old twin grandsons Theo and Caius Wood down to see the displays.

"They like planes, trains and automobiles," Corder said.

They heard the club had regular open house events and missed the last one.

"It was a good opportunity to expose these little guys to a bigger world," Corder said. "This is actually amazing and an amazing accomplishment especially for our small town.

"It really is a hidden gem. You can tell a lot of work has gone into this, countless hours. This is an amazing event and an amazing space."

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

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