Annual Holiday Train Show is for All Ages

The annual Holiday Train Show at the Barron Arts Center is a magical event for all ages.

"It's nice for the kids, for the grownups, and for the grandparents," said Avenel resident Richard Combs, who volunteers his time at the show.

The train show, which brings out hundreds of people every year, has been around for roughly 20 years and is curated by Mike Gelesky of Colonia.

"It actually started out with planes, trains and automobiles," said Gelesky. "It was me and two other guys and what really inspired us was that comedy movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" … but now it is only me."

The exhibition of model trains will be on display through Dec. 28. For Gelesky, the show is twofold.

"My wife and I always joke that I have a month and a half to play with my trains and also it is a time where I can see the reactions of three-year-olds enjoying the trains for the first time," he said.

Gelesky, who received his first toy train set when he was five years old, explained that his train display began on one sheet of 4-by-8 feet plywood and now has expanded to span eight plywood sheets.

"There is over 500 feet of train track," he said. "It usually takes me about three weeks to set up the display. I mostly went out and bought the pieces over the years."

Gelesky said the train display depicts various scenes including a snowy Christmas scene; a traditional American Main Street downtown area; a replica of the Barron Arts Center; a layout of a sports area equipped with a hockey rink and a softball field; and a moving operation playground.

There are aso vignettes showing an expanded Hershey Park complete with Hershey Kiss street lamps; an operating paratrooper ride, a Ferris wheel, and tilt-a-whirl, surrounded by an operating monorail; and a replica of the Jersey Shore, accurate even down to the boardwalk.

Eleven different trains will be used in the display, with four trains operating at all times.

"Every four to five days I will go in and change the trains," said Gelesky. "This way I am able to clean them and the children will be able to see different trains when they bring their parents back over the weekend."

Combs said he has been a train enthusiast for as long as he can remember.

"I like trains … real ones and toy ones," he said with a smile. "My son had owned a railroad set, but when he passed away, I gave it away to the Gosome train show in Nebraska."

Terriann Silverman of Highland Park brought her three-year-old son to see the train show.

"We have been coming for years," she said. "I have four children, and I brought each one of them to the show when they were his age. My oldest now is 14 years old."

The exhibition runs from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm., Monday through Friday, and from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the weekends. Admission is free, but donations are always welcome. Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable items for the township food bank. 

The show will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For more information, call 732-634-0413.