From today’s localnews Sunday 12.24.06
The Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, Vista Edition

Boy training for a life on the rails

Oceanside resident Leo Valley and his 4-year-old grandson
Kevin Lee play with a model train set that circles the Valley
family’s Christmas tree. courtesyorHeatherAnderson

His Oceanside
grandfather shares love of model trains
By Heather Anderson
OCEANSIDE — Most little boys play with the kind of cars that roll on tires, but 4-year-old Kevin Lee likes train cars instead.

When it comes to trains, the boy will talk your ear off. “I want to be a train man when ‘ I grow up, and make the train go really fast and blow people’s i hats off,” Kevin said.

The boy’s fascination with trains may be just a phase, but ‘Kevin’s grandfather, Leo Valley of Oceanside, hopes it’s genetic.

The 72-year-old has been a fan of trains since he was about Kevin’s age, watching both of his grandfathers work in the railroad industry.

“One day, I got the thrill of my life. Grandpa asked the engineer if I could ride in the cab with him. I was 10 years old. I only went a half-mile or so down the track but he let me pull the whistle and showed me how they put coal in the boiler,” he said.

Valley’s love of real trains drew him to model sets.

“I had a Marx when I was a boy, which was the cheapest you could get. We couldn’t afford a Lionel, which was the kind every kid wanted,” Valley said.

Valley had to shelve his trains when he grew into a family man with two young daughters, neither of whom showed an interest in his hobby.

“Girls aren’t really interested in trains at least mine weren’t, so we did things that girls are interested in, like Indian Princess at the YMCA:’ Valley said.

For nearly 40 years, Valley’s train hobby collected dust as he supported his family and built a successful career as an aerospace engineer. He retired in 1998.

Then, in 2000, Valley attended a model train expo in Del Mar. He met members of the Oceanside-based North County Model Railroad Society and rekindled his interest in model trains.

Valley said his grandson showed an interest in trains when he was 2; he was practically hypnotized by the sight of the model train Valley sets up each year to circle the family Christmas tree.

“Then I started taking him to the club with me, and he was just fascinated by all the trains there,” Valley said.

Although Kevin lives in San Diego with his parents, Mark and Tracy Lee, the boy is allowed to spend the night with grandpa about once a week. His visits are often scheduled to coincide with the club’s open- house hours on Thursday evenings and Saturdays.

“He’s the youngest member of our club:’ Valley said. “He’s not like so many kids, who want to use the trains like slot racers. He starts them very slowly. There are men there with $400 locomotives who have no problem letting him run them.”

Valley said the boy also serves as a guide for children who visit the club.

“He’s in charge of showing kids how to run the trains, and of course, the kids love it when they have another kid to show them,” Valley said.

Kevin said he enjoys visiting the model train club with his grandpa, especially on Saturday mornings.

“Right after breakfast we go see the trains, and then we have a doughnut,” he said.

In addition to playing with his grandfather’s trains, Kevin also has a budding collection at home, including a silver diesel locomotive he’s particularly proud of.

However, he’s not partial to sharing the models with his 20-month-old brother, Erik.

“I don’t play trains with Erik because I don’t like him pushing them off the track while I’m running it’ Kevin said.

Heather Anderson is a San
Marcos-based freelance writer.