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Model behaviour

North Vancouver miniature railway enthusiast shares his 50-year passion
models
North Vancouver model railroad enthusiast inspects one of the buildings t his train station

In a dark North Vancouver basement sits a man in his 94th year.

Bob Booth has lived on the North Shore for a long time in the house he built, and where he and his wife raised their children.

In his spare time, Booth has long pursued his passion for miniature railroads - specifically HO gauge models. His workshop is filled with landscapes, tracks, miniature rail yards and stations, as well as passenger cars and locomotives. His collection has continued to expand since he first discovered the hobby more than 50 years ago.

Talking to Booth, you soon realize his keen interest in the history and role railways have played in the building of Canada.

He has collected more than 50 brass locomotives, which he lovingly dismantled and restored then reintroduced as part of the landscape of painted mountains, trees and little towns that exist out of sight for most of us.