SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The golden age of the railroad is over, but for some model train buffs the glory days have never ended.
Somewhere stowed in the dusty bowels of your crawl space or in a dingy corner of your attic is something that Bob shultz wants.
Bob buys old train sets and over the years has amassed an impressive collection of Lionels that date all the way back to the early 1900s.
"They were all made out of metal in the early days," said Bob. "The Holy Grail for the standard gauge is the blue comet. This was started in 1931. And then, they put an anniversary set out in 1981, which is a reproduction."
Bob still has the first train set is father bought for him back in 1954.
"Tank car, great northern box car, searchlight car and caboose," he described.
But, he doesn't just display the classics, he runs them as well. It's one of three layouts, bob has built behind his house.
These days for Bob, the train guy, it's a buyer's market. Internet savvy youngsters aren't buying into the fantasy of model trains. The Pennsylvania, the Santa Fe, the Southern Pacific, the New York Central are packed away in boxes, that train has left the station forever.
For Bob Shultz, the rhythm of the rails still resonates deep inside his soul and flights of fantasy roll on in a never-ending loop.
Bob Shultz
1241 Windsor Road
Cardiff-By-The-Sea
760-579-2234
r.shultz760@gmail.com
Some of the footage used in this video story was shot with a GoPro camera.