Mike Prokop kneels by a portion of his backyard train set-up. (Photo by Albert Rende.)
A model train runs through the Hamilton backyard of Mike Prokop in July. (Photo by Albert Rende.)
By Carly Szabo
Mike Prokop first laid his eyes on a model railroad 58 years ago, and he never looked back.
At just 5-years old Prokop developed a lifelong love for model trains that would lead him to build several sets of his own. Now Prokop, at age 63, owns and operates model railroad sets at his home in Hamilton.
But these aren’t the average train sets seen in toy stores. These scale models can reach up to 500 feet in track length and possess such features as LED lighting and realistic sound effects. One set even took 17 people to operate correctly. Developed to mimic the same trains Prokop’s father and grandfather operated during their time at New York City Transit, these model railroads do their best to imitate the railroads of the real world.
Prokop’s basement model railroad is modeled after the northeast railroad system of the 1950’s and early 1960’s. Prokop has dubbed it “New Jersey and Western,” and the model is similar in name and appearance to an existing railroad, New Jersey Western, which ran during the 1850’s. He has designed the scenery of the model to look exactly like the towns through which New Jersey Western ran, with model houses, buildings and landscaping running adjacent to the track.
Prokop draws his inspiration and motivation for model railroading from his time spent at the railroad tracks with his father and grandfather when he was growing up in Queens.
“I would walk two blocks to get on the train to go to school, and my father would be running the train most of the time,” Prokop said. Prokop’s grandfather, a supervisor at New York City Transit, would also take him for tours of the facilities, sometimes allowing him to flip switches that controlled the trains’ movement on the track. This experience is what led him to become so involved with model railroading.
“I wish I knew what I know now and had that experience,” Prokop said. “I would have paid attention more.”
Perhaps Prokop’s most intriguing set is his outdoor garden railroad, a 200-foot long model railroad built into the landscape of his backyard. Built with his son, Mike Prokop Jr., the set took an entire summer to prepare. Prokop’s son built wooden features, such as a bridge for the railroad that extends over the backyard pond. The railroad even features a tunnel for the train to travel through.
While that railroad was built over 10 years ago, Prokop Jr. says work on it is still ongoing.
“No railroad is ever truly finished,” Prokop Jr. said. Prokop agreed, saying he’s always adding new structures and new designs.
Along with the time spent, modeling these railroads comes great cost to Prokop—so great, even he isn’t exactly sure how much he spends.
“You don’t want to know how much we spend on these railroads,” Prokop said. “If we knew what we spent, we wouldn’t be spending it.”
Robert Liberman, a friend of Prokop’s who passed away, had his collection of model railroads valued at $100,000. Liberman, who was very involved in the Mid-Eastern division of the National Model Railroad Association, now has a special award that was created in his honor. The award is granted to those who enter into competitions at the model railroading conventions that take place throughout the fall.
While building model railroads may be difficult, it is nothing compared to the work it takes to keep them in shape. With the one railroad outdoors all year long, yard work takes on a new meaning for Prokop, as he spends the spring fixing the damage winter has done. It takes Prokop weeks to prepare the railroad track for the summer months.
The freezing weather causes some railroads to disconnect, including those that make up the bridge portion of the track. Prokop must put the pieces back together and mend the damage the freezing weather has caused before he can take the train out around the track once more. Even in the summer months, natural obstacles abound as weeds grow in between the tracks and animals pick and prod at Prokop’s hard work.
But Prokop isn’t bothered by the amount of work it takes to keep his trains in top condition. For him, the work is as much a social activity as it is a hobby.
“When I first moved to Hamilton in 1983, the first people I met were train people,” Prokop said.
The connections made through model railroading are strong enough for Prokop to be a part of many different model railroad organizations.
Prokop meets many of his model railroading friends at conventions and shows that take place in New Jersey. Some conventions, such as the Mid-Eastern Regional Convention taking place this year from Oct. 22-25 in Mount Laurel, invite model railroaders from as far north as Maine and as far south as South Carolina to come to New Jersey for building seminars and tours of local railroad sets. The event draws as many as 400 people and showcases the hard work of many local model railroaders. In addition to tours of local model railroad sets, the event offers tours of prototype facilities such as the PATCO high speedline in Lindenwold.
Prokop is also involved in the National Model Railroad Association as well as a Monday night train club in the Hamilton area. His involvement with the National Model Railroad Association allows him to be a part of the month-long model railroad convention in November. The convention allows model railroaders to visit each other’s homes in order to experience the model railroad sets firsthand. A schedule of whose house is available at what days and times is available online during the month-long convention.
“I like when people come to see the railroads,” Prokop Jr. said. “It gives us a sense of pride to be able to show off all our hard work.”
And others love to see Prokop’s hard work as well. Bob Duffield, one of Prokop’s Monday night train club members, said Prokop is a great inspiration to him when he is building his own railroads.
“He is definitely one of the better model railroaders around,” Duffield said. “He makes me a better modeler just being around him.”
Duffield’s own collection consists of a 30-by-18-foot railroad that travels along the perimeter of his basement. Prokop is currently helping Duffield with updating his scenery and incorporating loops on the track for the Mid-Eastern Regional Convention.
Prokop and his friends look forward to an eventful fall with three major conventions taking place between October and December. But even when the conventions are over, Prokop and his pals will still be busy at work on their layouts.
“A model railroad is never truly finished,” Prokop Jr. said.
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