Published On: 08.02.16 | 

By: Chad Allen

Birmingham broadcaster builds beguiling model railroad in his home

Former Birmingham broadcaster Roy Wood looks at his model train set. (Chad Allen/Alabama NewsCenter)

It’s difficult to devote 40 years to a pursuit without going off the rails.

If you’re Roy Wood, it helps if it involves rails.

“There are so many different things you can do that are involved with the hobby, it’s hard to get bored with it,” said Wood, a retired Birmingham broadcaster and long-time model railroader.

Wood has spent the past several years perfecting a model train miniature world in his home.

Roy’s been working on the railroad from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

“It took me 40 years to get there, but I finally have my museum-quality railroad,” Wood said.

Getting there required him to tap into new and old skills.

“To get to this level, you’ve got to be a carpenter in order to build the bench work,” he said. “Then you’ve got to be an artist because when you start to deal with scenery, you’ve got to … know how to paint and how to do that. Oddly enough, (when) I started out in school, I wanted to be an architect. All of that has come in handy as a model railroader because all of the buildings that are on my layout are handmade.”

Sometimes, Wood is an electrician. At other times, he’s a landscaper.

Throughout the years of work and dedication to his hobby, Wood has remained passionate and beguiled by the miniature world he has created and continues to direct.