Visitors check out the details of the annual Holiday Model Train Exhibit at the Barron Arts Center in Woodbridge. SCOTT FRIEDMAN When the holiday season comes around each year, it brings with it innumerable traditions for people to enjoy. In Woodbridge, Middlesex County, one particular tradition manages to captivate audiences of all ages, from far and wide — just ask the “Trainman.”
Now in his 22nd year as curator of the annual Holiday Model Train Exhibit at the Barron Arts Center, Rahway Avenue, Woodbridge, “Trainman” Michael Gelesky is just as passionate about trains as he was when his parents gave him his first train when he was 5 years old.
“All I need for Christmas is just to do this,” he said.
According to Gelesky, allowing him the time each year to spend in his miniature world of trains is a true gift from his wife, Donna-Marie.
But he is no slouch when it comes to giving, if one looks at the roughly 10,000 to 11,000 visitors who flock to the free exhibit each year for a look into the miniature, lifelike world of Gelesky’s creation.
“I just love seeing all the faces,” he said. “Basically, I really want to thank all the people who keep coming, because if not for them, I wouldn’t be able to be here playing with my trains.”
Although it may feel like play to him, there is hard work involved in readying the exhibit for the public. It takes Gelesky three to four weeks to set up the more than 500 feet of track.
“It’s just a huge layout,” he said. “There’s so much that if you walk around it three or four times, you’ll still miss stuff.”
The sprawling geography includes three towns — Main Street, USA; a small, snowcovered mountain town; and a beach landscape, complete with a boardwalk and rides.
It also includes some personal touches. A softball field, populated by girls playing the game, is dedicated to his daughter, Stephanie, 26, who played softball throughout high school and college. For his son, Justin, 22, who plays ice hockey for Rutgers University, Gelesky created an ice hockey rink, complete with a Zamboni.
He also incorporated nods to the Middlesex County Department of Parks and Recreation, his employer. A replica of the Barron Arts Center pays homage to the exhibit’s host.
Four trains operate throughout the exhibit at any given time. Two trolleys and a handcar round out the vehicular traffic.
“It really looks nice when it’s all lit up,” he said.
The lights and moving parts incorporated into the landscape provide interactivity for attendees, adding to the fun.
“There’s plenty of buttons for kids to play with,” he said. Children can’t seem to get enough of the trains, according to Gelesky. Large groups come on school trips during the week, and more people pour in on weekends.
“You can see that the mothers are out shopping and the fathers are here with the kids,” he said.
One child unknowingly started his own tradition about 10 years ago when he left a little Elmo figurine on the exhibit. Gelesky began placing Elmo in a different spot each year, encouraging children to find him. As the years passed, he added Buzz Lightyear, Santa lying in a hammock, and other little figurines, which he lists on a sheet of paper for children to seek out as they look at the exhibit.
“The kids get a kick out of it,” he said.
Gelesky said a lot of adults who visit the exhibit tell him about the trains that encircled their Christmas tree years ago.
Along with his extensive collection that fills the room at the Barron Arts Center, Gelesky displays some of his older trains in glass cases.
The free exhibit will be on display through Dec. 28 (weekdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; weekends, 2-4 p.m.; closed Dec. 25).