WOODBURY — To look inside Dave Skinner's three-room basement here is to travel back in time to 1950s West Virginia.

Along each wall of his space are vintage storefronts, homes, factories, landscapes and, most notably, an intricate arrangement of nearly 1,000 feet of model railroad featuring "real," functioning trains chugging along, bells ringing and whistles blowing.

Skinner has spent decades cultivating this miniature civilization built around his fictional Kade Railroad, set in 1950s West Virginia, running from Western Maryland up to Ohio.

Skinner's ornate display is one of several in the region that opened up for tours on Sunday afternoon -- and will be again Saturday -- as part of National Model Railroad Month.

It's a 15-year-old tradition that Skinner said has drawn up to 600 people in the past. This year, Skinner estimated that at least 180 people ventured in to look at his fictitious railroad on Sunday alone.

The event drew train enthusiasts of every level -- down to those who are just old enough to know what trains are.

Dalton Haynes' eyes lit up as one of the trains made its way along the track toward him.

"Ohh, it's coming, dad!" the 2 1/2-year-old from Clarksboro squealed, pointing wildly as he glanced back at his dad, Edward Haynes.

He waved frantically, bouncing up and down in his father's arms as he surveyed the rest of the track in front of him and realized that there were, in fact, several whistling "choo-choos" chugging through the town, bells ringing and whistles blowing loudly.

"I think this is great," his dad said, laughing and adding that Dalton already has one model train of his own. "He likes this whole thing."

Basement of trains

Randall Yorker of Woolwich was intrigued by the concept of model railroads and decided to take his entire family to each open house as a way to spend a Sunday afternoon together.

"I thought it'd be good for the kids. It's something different," he said.

It so intrigued Yorker's son, 14-year-old Ivory Yorker, that he said he might even consider taking up the hobby.

"It's just cool how everything works," he said, marveling at the lights, sounds -- even the wintry scene tucked away in one corner of the room. "It's almost real."

That's the feeling Skinner was going for when he began building the Kade Line in 1989. A longtime train enthusiast, Skinner spent several years as a member of a model train club based in Camden. When that closed and he retired, he found himself in need of a hobby and so he began by building a 6-foot test track in a corner of his basement.

Now, every square inch of his basement in lined with trains.

"It's obscene and ridiculous and it's all my imagination," he said, chuckling.

Haddon Heights resident Jeff Feese, 59, said Skinner's display provided a little motivation he hopes will translate into the expansion of his own model railroad.

Feese, who said he's been fascinated with trains his whole life, marveled at the intricacies in Skinner's models.

"It's neat," he said. "There's so much good detail, good use of scenery and perspective."

Skinner prides himself on those details: snow-coated trees in one area, miniature utility poles lining streets, tiny people relaxing, working and otherwise going about their pretend lives.

The retired insurance salesman admits he spends countless hours tweaking his railroad because although there's no room to build out, "you can always make it better."

"I think I've "finished' this about 20 times," he joked.

Spirit of '50s

Skinner said he did "some research" into the towns represented along his railroad, but insists store facades, hotels, streets and other specifics are imagined.

Still, Skinner said he tried to stay true to the spirit of 1950s West Virginia.

He tells an anecdote from an open house about three years ago when a woman from West Virginia ventured in to view his display, which includes scenes from Grafton, W.Va., the woman's hometown.

"She started screaming and I thought to myself, "Oh no,' thinking there was some kind of medical emergency," he recalled, laughing. "It turns out she was screaming because she thought it was so realistic."

Reach Bridget Smith at (856) 486-2473 or brksmith@camden.gannett.com