A miniature hockey player glides across the plastic ice. Nearby, Santa climbs up and down a ladder and a colorful model carousel spins.
Tiny scenes play out as trains whiz in and out of tunnels and across bridges at the Firefighters Holiday Train Garden at the Ellicott City Fire Station.
“When you drive by, you can tell Christmas is coming,” said train enthusiast Bob Yore, of Pikesville, who has visited the display for the last three or four years, drawn in by the intricate detail of the set.
This season marks the train garden?s ninth year. About 15,000 people visit the fire station to see the trains each year, said Deputy Chief Dave Balthis.
Set-up for the train garden started in October, and volunteers were putting the final touches on the display on Friday night before unveiling it on Saturday, said Bob Bain, a train enthusiast who helped build the garden.
“Each year is different,” he said, pointing out the details in the miniature buildings, sculpted Styrofoam landscapes and tiny fake trees.
About 10 to 15 volunteers from the county?s volunteer fire companies, the union and retired firefighters help set up and run the display, Balthis said.
This year, an area of the display especially for children, complete with a miniature carnival scene, was expanded. There are also more hands-on opportunities, with buttons for children to push that lift bridges, unload a dump truck and set a model fire station in motion.
Barbara Argauer, of Clarksville, brought her 5-year-old son, Ryan, who was donning a red plastic fireman?s hat as he pushed the button to make the Santa hand car move back and forth on a track.
“I think he likes that he is able to move things,” Argauer said.
Once lured in by the trains, people can wander through a fire prevention room, where displays are set up to educate children and parents about fire safety in the home.
“The trains are bait,” Balthis said.
The display runs through Jan. 2. The station is also collecting new, unwrapped gifts for Toys for Tots and donations for the volunteer department.
