18 LIVING

Star2, Saturday 13 July 2013

Model train sets allow

a hobbyist to become
the architect and
engineer of his own
railroad system.
By LEE MEI LI
star2@thestar.com.my

T is past bedtime for most. The

neighbourhood is quiet, but
for the steady chug-chugging
of a locomotive having its last run
on the tracks. A resonating horn
pierces the sky like a forlorn call in
the night. With a wheeze, the train
grinds to a halt.
A large pair of hands picks up
the sculpted model, parking it
alongside two others of a similar
built detailed replicas scaled to
measure 1:160, the size of real-life
locomotives.
sunny Ng pushes his railway set
to a neat pile at the corner of his
living room, clearing the entrance
to the dining area to ensure a safe
passing-through for his family in
the morning.
i do this about four times a
week, says the father of two,
gesturing to his prized collection.
When everyone in the house is
asleep, ill turn off all the lights,
settle down on my couch, and let
the trains run not fast, just on
average speed. Watching the trains
in motion; listening to their sound
effects; its one of the most peaceful
experiences ive ever had.
The 54-year-old car salesman is a
model train hobbyist who has spent
the last year rediscovering his childhood dream of owning a miniature
railway set of his own.
i was an ipoh boy in love with
trains i used to chase after them
just to get a good look. i would go
home and play with my toy trains,
but they were the simple inexpensive ones. i was always yearning for
the more detailed models, which i
saw in a particular shop, the only
one in town, that sold them for
between RM8,000 and RM9,000.
Now that the times have
changed, one only has to pay about
RM500 to grab hold of a starter analogue set, a fact that Ng is greatly
thankful for. His first purchase, a
green-tinted locomotive that runs
on customisable tracks, was from
Funderland, a model train specialist
shop in Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya,
selangor.
Previously based in Tropicana
selatan, Funderland sports an
elaborate railway diorama in the

Big boys,
small toys

On track: accessories allow hobbyists to customise their model train layouts. (Pic inset) Sunny Ngs 82-year-old father, Ng
Boon Hoe, has taken a keen interest in his model train collection.
centre of its glass-fronted set-up. A
miniature countryside view dominates the landscape, with lush pine
trees and tranquil lakeside sceneries
flanking the surroundings as a vintage steam engine makes its scheduled run throughout the day.
Products from the shop are from
Roco and Fleischmann, two of the
most popular German brand names
in model trains. Hobbyists can
choose from intricate steam-emitting locomotives, mini tanks and
vehicles to buildings, figurines and
roads essential accessories that
allow for customisable model train
layouts.

Life in miniature
According to Funderlands product consultant, David Lim, more and
more Malaysians are catching up on
the hobby, which appeals to young
and old alike due to its ingenuity of
mixing tradition with technology.
These days, a lot of people are
looking for ways to create something that they can call their own.
With model train sets, you can basically become the architect and engineer of your own railroad system,
says Lim, 62.
Complicated though the mechanisms may seem, most model train
sets today have a plug-and-play
concept that appeals to even new-

bies, Lim adds.

Even if youre new at this, you
can always start with a small set;
it only takes 10 minutes to have
everything set up and ready to go.
Later, you can buy extension packs
to change the design of your tracks.
The possibilities are endless. This
is what you would call a lifetime
hobby.
Nevertheless, the leisurely pursuit may seem like a waste of time
and money to most a perception
that Ng has had to fend off ever
since he started indulging his passion.
initially, my friends laughed at
me. They kept saying i was too old
to be playing with toys and that i
was wasting money, Ng recalls.
The grandness of it all is something you have to see to believe. i
knew my friends needed some convincing so one day, i invited them
over to have a look at my collection.
And of the six friends who came,
three of them have since bought
their own railway sets.
His family has been supportive
so far, especially Ngs 82-year-old
father, Ng Boon Hoe, who seems to
have taken a keen interest in the
clockwork-like movements of the
model trains.
Aside from investing in a digital
control system known as the Z21,
which allows for one to operate

Funderlands product consultant david lim (right) says model train sets allow a hobbyist to become the architect and engineer
of his own railroad system. He is seen here with fellow enthusiasts Sunny Ng and abdul rahim abdul Hamid (left).

their trains directly from smartphones or tablets, Ng has plans to

architect his own railway blueprint
soon, and is currently gathering
the final pieces to make up a fullfledged collection that he is saving
space for in a newly furbished corner of his living room.
He will be doing so with the
help of freelance contractor Abdul
Rahim Abdul Hamid, whom he met
through Funderland.
A big fan of scale model kits
and remote control gadgets, Abdul
Hamid has in his own house a full
room dedicated to his model train
collection of five years.
Model trains are often miscon-

strued as merely toys. in actual fact,

they have so much more to offer.
For years, engineers have been
using scale models for research
before they apply a new technology
on the actual machines, he shares.
The 37-year-old estimates that
he has spent over RM50,000 on his
collection an amount that he finds
worthy in return for the gains in
knowledge.
To top it off, he has since influenced his wife, futures broker
representative Jahzalina Md Joned,
38, into collecting her own model
train set. Jahzalinas, however, are
on a smaller Z scale, built to a ratio
of 1:220.
The whole process of playing
with the trains is a learning experience in itself. it deals with largescale information in a small package
thats the most interesting thing
about it, Abdul Rahim opines.

Funderland, a model train specialist shop in Paradign Mall, Kelana Jaya, Selangor,
sports an elaborate railway diorama in the centre of its glass-fronted set-up.