“This is basically a layout under construction,” he said. There’s no hurry. Besides, he said, no model railroader really wants a layout to be done. The joy for him is in building it. As Yelen speaks, ...

Like a lot of baby-boomer kids, Jack Smith had model trains growing up in the 1950s. But unlike most children of the era, he never drifted away from the hobby. Smith, 71, still has his original Lionel ...