It's a Kid's World

"I like the whistle,” said Sydney Rymes, age 5, at the World's Greatest Hobby Show. “It's like a really loud tooting sound."

Sydney, from Jefferson, Md., accompanied her family to this unique event that entertains kids of all ages. Babies in strollers watched patiently as their older siblings pretended to be train conductors in the hands-on train playground.

The goal of the World's Greatest Hobby On Tour is to get the younger generation interested in model railroading. Promoter Dave Swanson noted that two-thirds of the show's attendees are under 16. “I love model railroading and I want it to continue to be a popular hobby,” said Swanson. “If you don't get into it as a kid, you won't get involved as an adult.”

The 100 “Thomas the Tank Engine” trains delighted Jake Koneczny, 4, of Burke, Va. “I haven't been able to get him away from the Thomas trains. He wants to buy everything he sees,” said Chuck Tamasi, Jake's grandfather.

Despite today's winter storm warning, the crowds are brisk at this family-friendly hobby show at the Dulles Expo Center. Neither snow, nor sleet, nor dreary rains, deters them from seeing those fabulous trains!