While that hobby could be as simple as reading a book or taking up a sport or an art class, for others it may take another tack

Englewood resident 'Don Kreigbaum has spent the last two decades collecting and building model railroad trains, complete with winding tracks, in the basement of his home.

It has become much more than a passing fancy,. for Kriegbaum has spent many an hour of many a day meticulously devising and arranging these railroad units to perfection.

He overflows with pride.when he mentions that many of the units in his collection are one of a kind, impossible to find models from yesteryear.

Kriegbaum's railroad collection practically absorbs all of one section of his basement, with displays on interconnecting tables. The track runs along every corner and lines two side walls at the entrance to his basement.

The walls are painted a sky blue to enhance the railroad-passing-through-town effect. Each section of track has its own particular miniature town building or bridge to pass through of beside.

There are miniature people, park benches, shrubs, trees, dump trucks that actually dump and an operational crane mechanism that lowers and raises at the push of a button.

Most of the model trains that Kriegbaum connects are comprised of nearly 40-60- cars joined in unison as they wind their way along the tracks.

In addition to the cars, there is a logging camp, two cities, and three freight yards established.

If' the sky blue backgroound isn't effective enough, one can't help but notice the detailed painted mural scenery surrounding the tracks, of each wall, paintings of trees and shrubs: that blend so perfectly you'd think they were real, just shrunken several feet, and meshed to the walls.

It's no wonder Kriegbaum spends more time in the basement than any other room in his house.

"This room and my trains are my relief from the hassles of,everyday life. Here, I can block out the world, sit and relax without a care,and without a television set," said Kriegbaum.

A passion for trains began when Kriegbaum was a young child and received a Lionel train set as a gift. From that point, his interest untimately progressed.

"Around age nine, I was really into train collecting "til" about 16, then dropped the desire for it as a hobby for years. Then I got back into it around 1974. As a young man, I wasn't able to financially invest in: the hobby, but as years passed, I was able to afford the hobby, and have been ever since," said Kriegbaum.

He stated his hobby has expanded into a true side business now, due in large part to the time he spent teaching himself to repair his own creations.

"I found that since most of my sets are outdated, the responsibility for maintaining their upkeep relied on me. So basically, I learned on my own, and with some help, how to repair these units. Now, I receive requests from people around the country who ask and send their trains to me for repair because no one else can help them" said Kriegbaum.

A major deterrent to operating his collection; is the dust- particles that collect along the tiny edges and sides of the railroad tracks. Kriegbaum said he's constantly cleaning as carefully as possible, which is not always easy.

His love for model trains has seemed to infect his 17-year-old daughter Bonnie as well.

"When I was little, I loved to see the trains run and the noises they'd make as they passed on the tracks," Bonnie said.

Many years later, his daughter has helped her father create and maintain his collection, in addition to devising her own model train units.

One such creation was constructed inside an old drill box and only after her mother's jewelry box proved too small.

Bonnie said that unit took up several hours of each day for months and that she's never completely finished with any project as she's likely to add, rearrange or even remove objects she has situated within her landscaping layout.

The father and daughter team have a portable railroad unit which they transport to railroad shows and conventions throughout the state.

"We've taken our portable unit to shows such as The Great American Train Show, Hara Arena, and local flea markets," Kriegbaum said, and he recently won first place at a convention last August out of 292 presented units.

If in need for a replacement piece or feels the need for an addition to his set, Kriegbaum said he searches local flea markets and checks out specialized catalogs.

Kriegbaum said he and his wife, who isn't afflicted with the same passion for trains but accommodates his hobby as long as es it remains ·down in the basement, have held an open house for curious enthusiasts each November since 1981.

Kriegbaum stated he also belongs to a special club for people like himself called the Crossroads Railroad Club in Vandalia. He and others meet in the basement of the Family Hobby Shop and they hold meetings every Tuesday night.

When not sitting behind one of his control pads in his basement, Kriegbaum is a mail carrier in Huber Heights, a job he has held for over 25 years.

"It's a job that I have truly enjoyed, especially being able to see all that has happened for people living in Huber Heights over the years, all the growth in homes and businesses," added Kriegbaum.

Over the years, Kriegbaum said his units have run safely and he has hand-created most of the landscape designs himself.

But don't get him wrong, he's not one to complain about it for one minute.

"I spent over a year designing all the automation for these train sets to operate. The fun is knowing I'm doing it myself and that I can't walk into a store and b.uy this off the shelf," said Kriegbaum.

Although a few headaches have occurred along the way, Kriegbaum added that if something isn't challenging to begin with, what's the satisfaction in doing it?