But the Cupertino resident is not rail hopping Jack Kerouac-style. His time is spent completing an actual scale model of a railroad boxcar. According to Nancy Richison, spokesperson for the convention, the train show, operated by the NMRA in cooperation with the Model Railroad Industry Association, is the largest train show in North America.
Different cities take turns hosting.
The convention garners worldwide attention, with attendants from as far as Canada, Japan and Germany. The hobby's appeal is shown in how it's withstood the test of time. You always picture a model railroad around the Christmas tree. Lunders travels back in time with his models to reflect on the train's place in history. His layout of locomotives and boxcars is in a constant state of construction and reconstruction.