Picture by Radar

The Holiday Express Train in Richardson, Texas isn’t your everyday model train. No, Joel Occhuizzo didn’t know a thing about model trains until about eight years ago. “It would be a lot less expensive to build now,” he laughs, “now that I know what I’m doing!” The entire experience has been trial and error.

“The first engine I wanted built, the man asked me how fast I wanted it to go. I told him, not knowing any better and wanting it to be safe for children to ride, 2 miles per hour. It took 4 minutes to get around my backyard one time!” The track isn’t large, but it isn’t small, either. The track consists of thirty-two 4-foot wooden sections that lay on 2 x 4’s in a circular shape around a lighted, theme-park style center. A 3x ¼ inch steel monorail runs through the center and keeps the train on the track.

The engine now runs 9 mph, and takes about 30 seconds to round the track. He’s been through 6 engines in 8 years. This year, he knew exactly what he needed. He rented a truck, loaded his entire assembly in the back, and drove to Phoenix to have his new motor installed. I asked him how long he expected this engine to last him. “About 2 years,” he smiled. He’s proud of the electric car motor he uses to propel his train. Last year, the man he has been purchasing his batteries from realized what he was up to and told him he’d never have to buy them again. From now on, he was giving them to him.

It’s a Labor of Love

The Occhuizzo’s love of Christmas is contagious. Everyone who drives by, everyone who stops in, and everyone who stays to enjoy the ride is touched with the detail that has defined their backyard.

“Last year, he figured out that if they sing Christmas carols as the train goes round, the kids keep their hands in the train,” smiles BeBe, his wife. “When I’m not out there, I’m right inside this window, watching, just to make sure they are all safe. You should hear them all singing! It’s really beautiful.”

“The smiles on their faces, the way the eyes light up, there’s nothing like it. You have to see it,” says Joel. He’s got big plans. It’s not the way he wants it just yet, but it just goes to show what can happen when inspiration calls, and you listen with your heart.

Find out more at his website, http://www.holidayexpressridingtrain.com