Hobbyist Chugs Along

In early January 2000, the Santa Fe and Saguaro Flats Railroad was visited by Photographer John Cross and Reporter Jody Sailor. On February 19, 2000, the story "Hobbyist Chugs Along" was published in the daily newspaper. Thank you, Jody and John. It was a fun time.

Madison Lake - After spending hours writing Blue Earth County Ordinances, investigating feedlot complaints, or dealing with sometimes unhappy residents, Veryl Morrell makes his getaway to Santa Fe. Railroad that is.

By day he's a tough enforcer of county land-use ordinances. By night he regresses to a boy who loves to play with trains.

During the winter, chances are that Morrell can be found smack-dab in the middle of a 12-foot by 22-foot layout, watching a war bonnet electric engine and six passenger cars whiz by the detailed desert country landscape.

"I tried to make it look like the New Mexico, Arizona area," Morrell said. "I knew when I moved back from there, I was going to be homesick for some of the scenery, so I just incorporated it into my layout."

Morrell can't explain how he ever got started in what's become a passion he's continued for more than half of his 49 years. Like many people, he just remembers being fascinated by trains as a child. As a teen he also had an interest in cars and their engines. "I don't know what it was," Morrell said, looking over to his wife, Audrey. "I think you finally told me, why don't you get a hobby."

The former Steele County Sheriff's deputy and Owatonna Police Officer has painstakingly painted many of the 6-inch engines, spending 40 to 50 hours apiece to make them look like the real Santa Fe, an intriguing railroad that has captured his heart and those of many other train enthusiasts. He uses a magnifying glass to get the red, silver, and other colors just right on the engines. He airbrushes them to make them even more perfect.

If Morrell can't find what he's looking for, he makes his own, taking apart existing engines and cars he's bought form swaps and dealers and piecing them back together.

The trains though, are only the start. In his jumbo two car garage, Morrell's two level layout takes up nearly all of the back wall. But his last one - a Grand Canyon replica - at his home in Owatonna, was even bigger. If he had his druthers, he'd build an addition simply for his locomotives, but he's still got to get that by another member of his household.

"I drive my wife crazy because I'm always looking for a way to expand," Morrell laughs. "That's where she drew the line. Train fans are nuts. They really are. You gotta have room to run your trains."

As it is, the scene is about the closest you can get the Southwest without hopping on a plane. And Morrell has made most of it. Realistic cliffs and mountains have been sculpted from laminated layers of high-density polyfoam, while rock formations are molded from plaster of Paris. Pipe-cleaner cactuses dot the not-so-barren desert, along with green-dyed sawdust ground cover. Trees are dried goldenrod tops painted green; Indian cliff dwellings have toothpick roof supports; and a train bridge is constructed of miniature aspen timbers and brass.

Morrell isn't the only inhabitant of this country. Elk and cattle pepper the countryside, but the city comes complete with a motorcycle gang getting a bite to eat at a local restaurant.

Biking has been another of Morrell's hobbies. Before he sold his bike last summer, he and Audrey toured 30 states on it, often taking off on 5,000 or 6,000 mile trips.

Back on track, all but one of the wired-for-lighting buildings are constructed from model kits. They've also been meticulously painted, like the tiny formerly pink people that populate his world of fun. Incidentally all of the paint Morrell uses for his projects comes from the county's Household Hazardous Waste Products Exchange. The Exchange collects products no longer needed and allows people to swap them, so the county doesn't have to pay to dispose of them.

Morrell skirts questions about the sheer volume of time he spends conducting his trains. "It's a way to keep my mind occupied and it keeps you away from the political. It's a lot of fun."

Ideas come readily from Model Railroading and Trains magazines, books, railroad photos and the Internet, but mostly from Morrell's memories during the two years he spent as a planning and zoning administrator in Kingman, Arizona. Morrell said he was in heaven with a double main line coming through town and just watching the 50 t0 70 Santa Fe and other life-size trains coming through each day.

The Blue Earth County native, however, moved back here in 1995 to be closer to his family, including his grown son and daughter. He's been land use administrator since 1996.

Chuck Peterson, a former county feedlot specialist who worked with Morrell for four-plus years, shares Morrell's love of locomotives. Yet he's amazed at the patience and skill Morrell has. He admits that a former cop/paramedic turned zoning administrator is an unlikely candidate to play with trains, but then, so is he. I think it's like any other hobby, when it's a complete and total reversal of what you do during the day," Peterson said. "I guess I'm always kind of surprised at the people you find are into it. When you meet a lot of the other people, you realize that there is no set personality."

For Morrell, it's that dissimilarity to his job as well as the train's mesmerizing speed and click-clacking that draws him in. It's also a way to escape to the Wild West without ever leaving Blue Earth County. "It's kind of my hold on reality," Morrell said. "And zoning doesn't apply on my layout either."


	The Santa Fe and Saguaro Flats Railroad and Morrell Family Web Page \| home back to The Santa Fe and Saguaro Flats Railroad and Morrell Family Web Page About Us \| Black Hills Central RR \| ATSF 3759 \| Denver & Rio Grande 268 \| Denver & Rio Grande 278 \| Denver & Rio Grande 315 \| RGS Galloping Geese \| Colorado Railroad Museum \| Georgetown Loop RR \| Durango Silverton Railroad \| Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR \| Mesa Verde National Park and Mining Train \| Manitou & Pikes Peak RR \| Royal Gorge National Park and Miniature RR \| Grand Canyon RR \| CNW 1385 \| Iowa Traction RR \| Minnesota Zephyr \| Arizona - California RR \| Apache RR \| Tucson, Cornelia, and Gila Bend RR \| Hobbyist Chugs Along \| Our Favorite Links \| Photos From the layout \| Our Family Photos \| Contact Us \| Other Special People Hobbyist Chugs Along Press Photo by John Cross In early January 2000, the Santa Fe and Saguaro Flats Railroad was visited by Photographer John Cross and Reporter Jody Sailor. On February 19, 2000, the story "Hobbyist Chugs Along" was published in the daily newspaper. Thank you, Jody and John. It was a fun time. "Hobbyist Chugs Along" by Jody sailor Madison Lake - After spending hours writing Blue Earth County Ordinances, investigating feedlot complaints, or dealing with sometimes unhappy residents, Veryl Morrell makes his getaway to Santa Fe. Railroad that is. By day he's a tough enforcer of county land-use ordinances. By night he regresses to a boy who loves to play with trains. During the winter, chances are that Morrell can be found smack-dab in the middle of a 12-foot by 22-foot layout, watching a war bonnet electric engine and six passenger cars whiz by the detailed desert country landscape. "I tried to make it look like the New Mexico, Arizona area," Morrell said. "I knew when I moved back from there, I was going to be homesick for some of the scenery, so I just incorporated it into my layout." Morrell can't explain how he ever got started in what's become a passion he's continued for more than half of his 49 years. Like many people, he just remembers being fascinated by trains as a child. As a teen he also had an interest in cars and their engines. "I don't know what it was," Morrell said, looking over to his wife, Audrey. "I think you finally told me, why don't you get a hobby." But Morrell's pastime really got rolling when he was 18 and purchased his first engine. He now has 147. The former Steele County Sheriff's deputy and Owatonna Police Officer has painstakingly painted many of the 6-inch engines, spending 40 to 50 hours apiece to make them look like the real Santa Fe, an intriguing railroad that has captured his heart and those of many other train enthusiasts. He uses a magnifying glass to get the red, silver, and other colors just right on the engines. He airbrushes them to make them even more perfect. If Morrell can't find what he's looking for, he makes his own, taking apart existing engines and cars he's bought form swaps and dealers and piecing them back together. The trains though, are only the start. In his jumbo two car garage, Morrell's two level layout takes up nearly all of the back wall. But his last one - a Grand Canyon replica - at his home in Owatonna, was even bigger. If he had his druthers, he'd build an addition simply for his locomotives, but he's still got to get that by another member of his household. "I drive my wife crazy because I'm always looking for a way to expand," Morrell laughs. "That's where she drew the line. Train fans are nuts. They really are. You gotta have room to run your trains." As it is, the scene is about the closest you can get the Southwest without hopping on a plane. And Morrell has made most of it. Realistic cliffs and mountains have been sculpted from laminated layers of high-density polyfoam, while rock formations are molded from plaster of Paris. Pipe-cleaner cactuses dot the not-so-barren desert, along with green-dyed sawdust ground cover. Trees are dried goldenrod tops painted green; Indian cliff dwellings have toothpick roof supports; and a train bridge is constructed of miniature aspen timbers and brass. Morrell isn't the only inhabitant of this country. Elk and cattle pepper the countryside, but the city comes complete with a motorcycle gang getting a bite to eat at a local restaurant. Biking has been another of Morrell's hobbies. Before he sold his bike last summer, he and Audrey toured 30 states on it, often taking off on 5,000 or 6,000 mile trips. Back on track, all but one of the wired-for-lighting buildings are constructed from model kits. They've also been meticulously painted, like the tiny formerly pink people that populate his world of fun. Incidentally all of the paint Morrell uses for his projects comes from the county's Household Hazardous Waste Products Exchange. The Exchange collects products no longer needed and allows people to swap them, so the county doesn't have to pay to dispose of them. Morrell skirts questions about the sheer volume of time he spends conducting his trains. "It's a way to keep my mind occupied and it keeps you away from the political. It's a lot of fun." Ideas come readily from Model Railroading and Trains magazines, books, railroad photos and the Internet, but mostly from Morrell's memories during the two years he spent as a planning and zoning administrator in Kingman, Arizona. Morrell said he was in heaven with a double main line coming through town and just watching the 50 t0 70 Santa Fe and other life-size trains coming through each day. The Blue Earth County native, however, moved back here in 1995 to be closer to his family, including his grown son and daughter. He's been land use administrator since 1996. Chuck Peterson, a former county feedlot specialist who worked with Morrell for four-plus years, shares Morrell's love of locomotives. Yet he's amazed at the patience and skill Morrell has. He admits that a former cop/paramedic turned zoning administrator is an unlikely candidate to play with trains, but then, so is he. I think it's like any other hobby, when it's a complete and total reversal of what you do during the day," Peterson said. "I guess I'm always kind of surprised at the people you find are into it. When you meet a lot of the other people, you realize that there is no set personality." For Morrell, it's that dissimilarity to his job as well as the train's mesmerizing speed and click-clacking that draws him in. It's also a way to escape to the Wild West without ever leaving Blue Earth County. "It's kind of my hold on reality," Morrell said. "And zoning doesn't apply on my layout either."