My first introduction to model trains was on The Addams Family. To this day I believe that detailed scale models should be able to get all explodey. A more realistic intro came a few years later when a classmate invited me to come over and see his train set. It had rolling hills, a detailed small town, tiny people walking dogs, it was obsessive, it was excessive, it was art. I'm not the type to run my own set but I can appreciate the urge.

The Whistle Stop is an amazing example of a specialty shop. It is packed with everything necessary to create train set masterpieces. I purchased an 11 piece set of HO scale tombstones, just because I could. There are also other, non-train, models and such.

Did you ever watch the documentary Trekkies? Even if you don't get the whole Star Trek thing, the film is compelling because it gives you a glimpse of a very particular niche psyche. That's what visiting The Whistle Stop is like. It's beautiful that a place like this exists. I guarantee that grown men have teared up when they first discovered it. I know it made me smile.