The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

32 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues. Janvary 22, 1985 Trains fundraise A group of model train buffs banded together on Saturday to help keep the Anglican. Church of the Ascension from crumbling to the ground. The Lindsay and Dis- trict Model Engineers set up an intricate model train display at the church hall to raise money for the church's building restoration fund. At least $71,000 is needed within the next three years to repair serious damage to the old church, which marks its 100th birthday next year. Ten thousand dollars have already been raised but fund- raising committee chairman Dereck Willis _ is anxious to see the rest in church coffers as soon as possible. Basically, the church foundation is crumbling as water eats away at the dry wall basement and sends huge cracks into every part of the building. Damage has become so extensive that a few years ago tie rods had to be installed to prevent the walls of the church from falling outward. Mr. Willis said the walls had spread three inches before the rods were put into place. "It hasn't come to this state overnight,'"' -he said. "It's just that the church hasn't been maintained on an annual basis. The last big repairs were done in .1949 and I've got no idea what they did but I don't think anything much has been done since then." Complete r&-draining and shoring /up, roof repairs, sown spouts, eavestroughs, and brick work are just a few of the things that have to be done on the outside of the building before the insides can be thought about. 'There's no point doing the inside until the outside is fixed,"" Mr. Willis pointed out. But new fire regul- ations will force the church to re-locate the: washrooms (considered to be a fire-trap as they now are), install crash bars and re-hinge the doors so they swing out. Also, water damage throughout the church will have to be repaired and cracks in plaster (including deep cracks overtop the stained windows) will have to be fixed. Even the entran- ceway will have to be ramped for wheelchair access and the main doors, which presently allow a lot of daylight through, will have to be draft-proofed to save heating bills. All in all it's a big undertaking but as Mr. Willis says, "It's a historical building and as far as I'm concerned Kiss unwanted items goodbye with CLASSIFIED ADS Ads must be paid for prior to insertion Cash or Visa accepted PORT PERRY STAR CO LIMITED 235 QUEEN STREET. PORT PERRY. ONTARIO (416) 985-7383 for church repairs it's our church home. It's our responsibility to bring it up to top shape. It's got to the point now where we have .to do something about it." Saturday's model train display was just one of the fundraising ventures the church will be undertaking within the next few years. Clive Boyd, a church parishioner and a member of the Lindsay and district Model Engineers, was more than happy to share his favourite hobby with others in order to raise money for his church. His group, which will host a show in Lindsay -in the spring, tours all over with railroad dis- plays featuring expen- sive model trains whizz- ing through miniature towns, villages and countrysides. The club has-been together for more than 20 years and Mr. Boyd has been an avid member for 12 years or S0. "I've always been interested in trains, even when I was knee- high to a grasshopper," he said. "It's something to do, it's a hobby. It's also like te-living history. Things are changing so fast. These kids today have never seen a steam engine." And he doesn't like people to think it's a "toy" that should be reserved for children. On the contrary, it's an expensive hobby that most kids -couldn't afford. The average engine will set back enthusiasts a couple hundred dollars - Mr. Boyd says the cheaper engines you find in toy stores are "junk." Looking eerily real, an old-fashioned locomotive whizzes by a station and over a trestle, while yet another engine brings up the rear from another track. Not a Model train enthusiast Clive Boyd and hi¥son Scott compare engines at the Church of the Ascension's model train display Satur- day afternoon. The display came courtesy of the Lindsay and District Model Engineers, of which Clive is a member, with all pro- ceeds of the day going towards the church's restoration fund. See story for details. 4 L | 3 A New York Central passenger train Ascension train display on Saturday. zips by a small town station at Church of the child's toy by any means, the engines in the foreground is worth more than $300, while others have a price tag of $500 or more. Note the young lady waiting at the station.