A Q&A With Joe Hartline

Q: Tell me a little bit about the train displays at Homestead Gardens. What can people expect when they stop by to see them?

We've got six trains running across two levels that are 24’ by 32’. It's a winter scene with snow and Department 56 houses, and of course, some hidden surprises: gnomes under the mountain, a yeti on top of a mountain, various birds and animals hidden here and there.

There’s a Christmas train, which is an engine and seven cars; then I have a Hershey's train, which the kids love, because periodically I grab a Hershey's Kiss out of the gondola and hand it out to the kids. There are various trolleys, and a shuttle track with a train called an eggliner on it that just runs back and forth.

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Q: How did you get involved with this?

I’m a model railroader at heart. I have a G Gauge railroad in my backyard, and I enjoy building a railroad and operating it. About nine years ago, a friend who owns Star Hobby up by the Bay Bridge gave my name to Brian [Riddle, owner of Homestead Gardens] because they needed somebody to, as they said, come in and help. I said, “Sure, it sounds like fun.”

So I showed up the first day and no one was there. That first year, I had to build it by myself. It turns out the two gentlemen who built the railroad originally some 20 years ago had passed away, so I wound up being the builder and operator of the railroad. Since then, I’ve convinced a good friend of mine, Jim McCormick, to come in and help. And I’ve been back every year since. 

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Q: How does one become a model railroader? Is this a hobby you've had your whole life?

Like a lot of people my age, I had Lionel Trains as a kid in the 50s. There was an interlude without trains when I was in high school, college, and early marriage, but for some reason, I got the bug again in my 30s and I’ve built on it ever since.

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Q: So, the train display at Homestead Gardens—does it change every year?

The track layout stays the same, but we vary the placement and organization of the buildings and accessories and foliage and vegetation to make it look different. We want to make it look different every year. Two years ago, we started elevating some of the houses to keep it from being so flat, and we've continued to do that. 

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Q: How do you come up with the vision?

When we’re setting up, we take a building out and put it down and go, “Do I want that there?” Once you have a key building in position, everything kind of falls in place around it. Part of my background is in urban planning, so I tend to try and have a business area, a residential street, and try to keep it somewhat organized.

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Q: How many hours does it take to put together?

Jim and I take about a month, working about six hours a day. We start with the tables, then lay the track, then do the wiring. We do test runs with the trains to make sure we have the wiring right. Then we start with the buildings, and then the trees, then the people.

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Q: What’s your favorite part of the tradition?

I enjoy running the trains. Of course, you know, I have to fix them throughout the season. And anything I don’t get to during the season, I’ll take home and fix over the winter. Usually, it’s a matter of new motors or new electrics, things like that.

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Q: What would you tell people who are coming out to see the train display?

I guess come out with a good sense of humor and watchful eye.