Train collection enjoyed by multiple generations

6/4/2025

For many children, their first experience with a train set would be something along the lines of Thomas the Tank engine and his group of pals. This is not the case for John and Judy Moller. 

In the basement of their former home lies the imagined world by John. John passed away four years ago, but his collection and affinity for the train set collection and setup were shared by his wife, Judy. While the intricate setup is a more recent development, technically speaking, John’s collection started in childhood.

“He got that old locomotive up there (pointing to a train on a shelf) when he was 5 years old. That’s really old. The old Lionel,” Judy Moller said.

The couple started their own collection and, eventually, had a full train set years later.

“We started getting all these train pieces and stuff for our little villages under our trees. And then he thought, ‘You know what, we got this extra room in this house. I’m going to do a train room.’ He set this entire thing up himself, with my help, of course,” Moller said.

The couple found pieces to bring the train room to life through various means. Ice skaters, polar bears, people playing chess and houses can be found throughout.

“We would go to the train shows they would have at Vet’s Auditorium, and just going to different people’s houses where they would sell and buy different things. I would say Hobby Haven and online are where he got most of the stuff,” Moller said. 

John and Judy would work on the train set together. With such detailed scenes woven throughout the landscape, it gave the two plenty of time to spend together on the hobby.

“That was the fun part of all this. He did the big things, the wiring. He knew how to do all that. We would go out and we would find pieces and come down here together and put the things in where he wanted them,” Moller said.

John had big ambitions for how the train set could expand. Judy was slightly reserved.

“He used to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to tear this all down. I want to do another layer.’ He was going to do another train up top. So, he had a double thing going. I said, ‘Oh, John, please don’t do that. That’s too much for me,’ ” Moller said with a laugh.

Spread throughout the scene are Dickens Village homes and buildings, modeled after the atmosphere and architecture of Victorian England, inspired by Charles Dickens’ novels and stories.

“We would go buy those wherever we could find them,” Moller said.

The buildings have snow on them, perfect for curating a winter scene that was a favorite. The pair was particularly fond of the movie “The Polar Express.” The train from the Christmas time classic can be found on the inner ring of trains on the set.

“ ‘The Polar Express’ was a thing that our family absolutely loved. It was kind of a tradition. We went to the IMAX theater, and they had ‘The Polar Express’ showing there every year. That was something that we did as a big family,” Moller said.

When asked if she had a rough estimate on how many total pieces were part of the train set — from trains, buildings, people, animals, signs, fences and all. She had a simple answer.

“Absolutely not. I have no idea,” Moller said.

Judy recalls the reactions she received from friends, family members and other train set enthusiasts when they saw what the couple had managed to put together. 

“ ‘Amazing.’ Because it’s so cool. It’s winter-looking, then he has all three trains going at the same time. He has smoke coming out of the engines. There’s a waterfall over there. All the little lights come on when we turn it on,” Moller said.

The train set has also been enjoyed by the generations following them. Judy says they were a blended family, so both of their kids made use of the set, especially around the holidays. 

Moller has since moved out of the home where the train resides, now owned by a family friend. She plans to sell most of the collection but keep certain pieces for herself and give others to family members as mementos. 

“I just absolutely hate tearing it down. It’s such a memory for my husband and me. He loved what he was doing. If he wanted a little getaway, he would come down here and just monkey with all this stuff and get it going and change it around a little bit,” Moller said.

If you are a train set enthusiast like the Mollers and would like a piece of her collection, she can be reached at pootz@mchsi.com. ♦