Missouri collector all wound up over trains that were once the toy/model railroading norm
James Pekarek joked that his hands and wrist would probably need medical attention. Every few minutes, he turned the key and wound vintage locomotives that pulled a handful of cars around a couple of loops of track. When the trains stopped, another quick wind revved them up again. The trains, on display at March’s Ozarks Model Railroad Association spring train show in Springfield, MO., offered a glimpse of early-day model railroading that didn’t require the then-luxury of electricity. “I got my first train set when I was 2½ years old,” said the Strafford, MO, resident, who also dabbles in 12-gauge railroading (a hand-built Frisco caboose flanked the windup display). “These are kind of a forgotten thing, and I like them because they represent basic fun. I like to buy them and fix them up.” Pekarek, 43, estimates that he has about seven dozen locomotives. He relished a find at the…