NEIGHBORHOOD ENGINEER MODEL TRAIN FAN LAYS TRACKS.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Even the ice cream vendor with his pushcart and straw hat takes an inquisitive look at Dale Kopes' duplex apartment as he strolls by, admiring the more than 200 feet of track and model trains that Kopes has erected around the building.

The 45-year-old auto detailer painstakingly sets up his years-in-the- making investment once a month, drawing curious passers-by to inspect the functioning electric trains that snake their way around the building on Pine Street, complete with smoking cabooses, screeching brakes and chatter from the tower.

``We always had a train around the Christmas tree growing up,'' Kopes said Saturday as he coached some visitors on how to run the expensive toys, a hobby in which he has invested an estimated $10,000.

``These here are O-scale trains. The 'O,' I think that stands for 'Oh, I spent too much money.'''

Kopes admits his dedication to purchasing and running model trains developed more in his adult life than when he was a boy growing up in the Santa Clarita Valley.

But after more than 30 years in the duplex with the stone's-throw view of the real trains that run through Newhall, he became more interested in making his pricey purchases look authentic - even if that meant decreasing their value.

The Lionel electric engines that power his 75 cars - many carry coal while some of the boxcars harbor miniature hoboes napping or playing the guitar - can cost nearly $500 each.

However, Kopes takes the same trains popular with collectors and roughs them up a bit, artfully stippling a sheen of rust and grime on the models to resemble the full-size trains that rumble in front of his home everyday.

Married for 18 years, Kopes lives with his wife in the upper apartment while his stepmother and mother-in-law, Vivian Kopes, lives below.

Watching the trains smoke and whistle around the track Saturday, she said she never tires of watching the response of people passing by.

``Even the grown-ups come by. I find that a lot of people walking down the sidewalks, they see the tracks and then here comes the train,'' Vivian Kopes said. ``Oh, the excitement on their faces.''

It takes Kopes about four hours to lay the track, wire the electronics and get everything in working order, he said. However, that doesn't include cleaning the track - a maintenance plan that he likens to any mechanical endeavor.

``It's like anything else, like a ride at the fair or one of the roller coasters at Magic Mountain. You've got to service the track,'' he said. ``I prefer to run it at night when it's cooler. That way the tracks don't overheat. And this is probably the last time I'll set it up this year.''

The cooler months, he explained, bring more falling leaves and rain - elements not conducive to outdoor model trains.

Kopes has no intention of retiring his hobby, however. Instead, he recently joined the Santa Clarita Model Train Club and enjoys drawing younger generations into the locomotive lair.

``More parents should get their kids into stuff like this, instead of just those video games all day,'' he said. ``This has a lot more than just watching trains go around the track. There's electrical skill involved, and creativity with making your cars and engines look a certain way. It's a great way to spend time.''

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Model train engines wait in Dale Kopes' workshop for a chance to chug away on Kopes' outdoor track in Newhall.

(2 -- 3 -- color) Jason Burgdorfer, 12, of Saugus watches Dale Kopes' model train cross a bridge on its 200-foot rail trip around Kopes' house. Far left, Kopes lays track Saturday for his model train set around his home on Pine Avenue in Newhall.

(4) Model train enthusiast Dale Kopes, left, lays track outside his Newhall home Saturday for his monthly chance to share his hobby with friends and neighbors on Pine Avenue.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer