Families gathered to celebrate Christmas a little bit early in the newly-renovated front room of the Wichita Falls Museum of Art last Friday as Jim Hughes finished setting up his Art Express Miniature Train Show.
The tradition first started in 1941 when Hughes and his brother received an electric train from their parents for Christmas.
“We got such a kick out of it, and along with our kids too, so we wanted to share it with the community,” Hughes said. “So this is our way of sharing our Christmas gift with the community.”
Hughes said his collection began with a single engine and then slowly grew year by year.
“From there on, we might add a boxcar at the next Christmas, or a house, and it just kept growing and growing,” Hughes said. “I always think about electric trains at Christmas.”
The exhibit is populated by a variety of characters from Superman to Shrek, whom Hughes said come from a variety of places.
“Anytime we see something that we think the kids would enjoy we try to add it,” Hughes said. “We’re kids at heart. We know that if we enjoy it, they’ll enjoy it.”
Hughes said the space for his exhibit is the smallest he has ever had to work with, adding a dimension of difficulty to the set up.
“We had to redesign and then condense and make decisions,” Hughes said. “It made it harder.”
Associate Professor of Theater John Dement said he brought his family because his three sons are avid fans of “Thomas the Tank Engine” television show.
“All three of the boys grew up watching ‘Thomas’ and liking trains,” Dement said. “The youngest is completely fanatical about them.”
Francine Carraro, director of the museum, said she and her staff simply provide the space for the exhibit while Hughes and his family do all of the setup.
“It takes an enormous amount of expertise to figure this out,” Carraro said. “There’s a lot of engineering that goes into it. I wouldn’t even know how to start. The trains go, the traffic lights go. Every little business and house lights up. There’s a lot going on.”
Danny Bills, museum curator, said that while the model trains and buildings are manufactured, a lot of scenery is created on the spot by Hughes and his family.
“The grass is a powder in the back that has to be put out so all the little rocks, all those things, have to be created and the composition has to be created each time,” Bills said.
Bills said the exhibit brings a lot of people into the museum who wouldn’t normally go.
“It addresses a community need that often doesn’t get addressed otherwise,” Bills said. “It cuts across age groups really well.”
“I’m amazed at the artistry that has to go in to produce that,” Carraro said. “We’re happy to put it on, and happy to have the space to do it.”