All Aboard for Holiday Wonderment with Smithtown’s Peter Dudek 

By Nancy Vallarella

A smiling Peter Dudek has the twinkle of excitement in his eyes as he narrates a tour of the 38’ x 48’ model train mega display hidden below the Mills Pond House. Lifetime model train enthusiast and decade long member of the St. James Model Railroad Club, Peter gleefully shares the magical world the club has created over the past 36 years.  

The 30-year Smithtown resident and father of four was introduced to the club when his daughter, Carolyn, brought him to the model railroad display to celebrate his birthday. Upon retirement, he officially joined the club. Member skill sets vary.  Devotion to creating a world where the locomotive is king is required.

Children visit the model train display year after year to see their favorite themed locomotives, Polar Express, Thomas the Train, and Disney rumble, chug, and whistle along with seven other trains through the large display filled with vignettes of yesteryear to the current and familiar. 

Although the wide-eye wonderment may begin with the running of the trains, it is magnified by the attention to detail. Miles of wiring and multiple control panels are out of sight and mind as the scenery mesmerizes.  Model train sets running inside of a storefront window, a woman ironing clothes in her apartment, puppies frolicking in the pet store window, scented smoke billowing train stacks, synchronized street lights and railroad crossings, intrigue and are only a few examples of the captivating details.

Peter points out during a recent renovation to the display’s Levittown vignette, “Lawn replacement was accomplished with a powder, glue, and water. A needle with an electrical charge was inserted into the mixture to produce varying lengths of grass to demonstrate where a figure had just mowed.” 

Dudek shops for props in hobby stores and train shows, it is where his inspiration for the occasional out-of-theme and out-of-scale scene surprises begin. To add to the holiday merriment, Peter places a dinosaur on a mountain top along with a scout troop and a group of hippies. One may even spot a cantankerous Captain Quinn about to become an elasmobranch fish dinner. 

There is amusement for all ages to be found at the 35^th Annual Holiday Train Display and Holiday Market.  Friday, November 22, 6 PM – 9 PM, Saturday, November 23, 11 AM – 5 PM, Sunday, November 24, 11 AM – 5 PM. Hosted by St. James Model Railroad Club and Smithtown Township Arts Council at the Mills Pond House, 1432, 60 NY-25A, St. James, NY. Please use rear parking off of Mills Pond Road across from the Flowerfield entrance.

Train display admission by donation: Adults - $2.00 / Children - 50¢ Upstairs at the Mills Pond Holiday Market children’s gifts are available for purchase.

Don’t forget to wish Peter and mascot Charlie the Conductor a happy holiday!

Find the St. James Model Railroad Club on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sjtrains/