Jack Belsinger, an avid train modeler, had created an extensive ‘Zero-One’ system, but eventually lost interest. He handed down this set to Lancaster’s Calvin Duncan. Mr. Duncan eventually retired the set—donating it to the Columbia Historic Preservation Society around 1993, where it sat, unassembled, for years. A plaque is on display on the second floor commemorating this gift.
A group of local model train enthusiasts re-discovered the components and set about to reconstruct it on the second floor of the Society. Faced with the challenge of fitting the set to the size of the room, initially it was configured into a ‘L’ layout. They soon discovered that most of the track had to be replaced—having been damaged during the move and subsequent storage. Members of the Society resolved that it would be good idea to reconstruct, to scale, sections of the town of Columbia around the core of the setup. This concept grew, as did the overall layout, as buildings and landscapes of ‘early 20th century Columbia’ were pain-stakingly added.
In 2000, Society member, Tony Segro, was asked to maintain and further develop the layout. To this day, he continues with this labor of love, researching and creating additional historic structures and landmarks to ‘HO’ scale as the miniature town of Columbia continues to come to life. And, although much of the original layout is gone, the spirit of creation remains. Under his care, Mr. Segro has since introduced four Digitrax boosters to power the 38 by 24 foot system, incorporating over 380 feet of Atlas code 100 flextrack and #4 and #6 switches.
Learn more at www.tonysegro.com.
