Sidetrack Hobbies - Leonardtown Business Calls Hobbyists 'All Aboard' - Southern Maryland This Is Living magazine

Leonardtown Business Calls Hobbyists 'All Aboard'

Story and Photography by Jaclyn Houghton Bardin

A trip to Europe derailed Al Rudman's career path and led him on an unexpected journey to a life of trains. Toy trains, that is.

The electrical engineer by trade was working for a government contractor in Southern Maryland when he and his wife, Libby, took a trip to Europe about 37 years ago. The pair brought back a few large-scale Lehman trains, which were not in the United States yet. When they returned from their trip, neighbors were intrigued by the trains and wanted their own. So Rudman ordered more trains based on other requests. Each time he purchased trains he doubled the quantity until the store in Europe couldn't accommodate the order size and sent him right to the manufacturer.

Rudman said all of a sudden people started calling from around the world seeking the trains. From 1980 to 1988, SideTrack Hobbies was the largest seller of the large-scale LGB train from Lehman in the United States.

"Right here in Leonardtown we were famous," he said.

The operation started in the couple's basement and grew into a business in the Breton Marketplace.

The Rudmans, along with partner Wayne Mattingly, own SideTrack Hobbies, which is one of the leading sellers of Lionel and MTH trains in the country. Beyond trains and accessories, the store also carries - among other products - toy race cars, Thomas the Tank and John Deere merchandise, wooden toys and plush animals.

The modest storefront, located at 25470 Point Lookout Road, does not do the business justice. Walking into the store that spans about 9,000 square feet, plus 3,000 square feet of warehouse space, brings out the kid in everyone, regardless of age. Throughout the store there are trains set up in elaborate scenery, including a town in the front window of the store complete with buildings, trees, a carousel, painters creating new signs, a track carved into a mountain and bridges, among other details.

"With a toy train, basically you have unlimited opportunities to express yourself," Rudman said. He said many people set their trains up seasonally such as under a Christmas tree, but others set their trains up year-round indoors or outdoors.

Rudman said he had a Lionel train growing up, but it was nothing like the trains around today. Many of today's trains are digitally controlled by a remote and can have cab chatter, can switch tracks, can play music, have speed control, can change the volume, can turn steam on or off if modeled after a steam-powered train, as well as about 80 other functions.

Remote-controlled engines start around $350 to $1,700, but Rudman said his store is nationally competitive on pricing. He suggests a basic starter kit costing $149 and up for those just getting into train collecting. The kit comes with track and transformer.

Rudman said toy train collecting is a hobby that has skipped a generation. He said many of their clients are 45 and older and grew up with trains. Now that group is passing on the hobby to their grandchildren. The generation in between has faced the competition of other forms of entertainment such as computer and video games, but Rudman said those outlets can limit a person's creativity. The train hobby, however, can allow a person to be as detailed or simplistic as he or she would like to be. He said it can come down to specifics like the gravel in a scene, or a person can just add ready-made buildings.

Although the economy has weakened, Rudman said he believes people that choose the train hobby allow for a certain amount of disposable income for the pastime.

"Sometimes, depending on the economy, it's cheaper to stay home than it is to go out," he said. "So when they're staying at home, they're looking for things to do and train hobby is one of the things that they can do at home."

To visit SideTrack Hobbies and start up a new hobby, visit the store at 25470 Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown or the Web site at www.sidetrackhobbies.com. The store is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.