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RIDGELY – ‘Tis the season of believing, and Eagle Line Railroad is one of those things you have to see to believe.
Tucked off Maryland 480 is Talley Ober’s workshop, which he first opened to the public 31 years ago. His particular operation specializes in one popular symbol of Christmas: model trains. Lots of them.
Walking into Ober’s place is like stepping into a scene from a Hallmark movie, and getting a hug at the same time. The winding gravel road that leads you to his home makes it seem like you’ve been plucked from reality. Once parked next to an amount of cars that leaves you thinking there’s no way that many people are fitting in that garage, you are ushered (somewhat literally) into the magic. Before the shock from the sheer amount of cool stuff can even fully hit you, you’re greeted with a free candy cane and a sign-in sheet – Ober likes to know where his visitors are from. “Cookies and hot chocolate are right over there,” says the greeter. Ober himself is probably waiting on a stool to say hi, as if he were expecting you. And just like that, you’re a kid at Christmastime again.
Vintage Hess trucks and various model train paraphernalia line the walls, floor to ceiling. Ober will tell you about his model of the tabletop train car, which was meant to drum up watch and jewelry sales, and instead started a frenzy for more of the cars themselves. A familiar scene of a decorated Christmas tree with a model train running around the bottom is set up in the corner of the room. During this short but incredible time in the first part of the building, all of your senses will be telling you there’s something to see in the next area over.
That something is Eagle Line Railroad. One could spend a lifetime walking around the giant, multi-layered setup and see something new every time. Besides the multitude of trains and train tracks, there are intricate scenes in which Ober has thought of every detail, right down to the model dirt. Tiny carnival rides are ridden by even tinier children, the Ridgely Volunteer Fire Department’s trucks respond to a smoking housefire, Maryland State Police helicopters patrol the airspace, clouds illuminate with lightning over the mountain, trains pull up to the Ridgely train station, and of course, Snoopy is hanging out on the rooftops.
Ober said he first got into model trains when his parents bought him a set as a kid, and the rest is history. Eagle Line Railroad and his extensive collection of other toys are a culmination of his life’s work. “In my early times, when I just had a little layout, I had it in my little shed I built. Everybody, when they came over, they wanted to see my trains. So I said, All right, maybe I need to open it to the public,” Ober said. His original building was 24 feet by 24 feet, which was big enough to hold his trains and maybe 20 people. As his collection and fanbase grew, he needed more space. A handful of additions and knocked-down walls later, Ober now has a space just big enough for his layout and the line of people who come to see them. “I had a so-called dream I guess…I don't claim to be the biggest, baddest, or whatever, it’s just my vision and people like it,” Ober said.
You may have seen Ober and his beloved trains during the much warmer Ridgely Strawberry Festival. But roughly 2,000 people come to see him each Christmas. He’s had people from as far as England, Australia, and South America make time during their visits to the Eastern Shore to experience Eagle Line Railroad.
If you’d like to feel the magic for yourself, Ober’s place at 12169 Ober Lane, Ridgely is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. now til January 8. Admission is free, but he does have a donation bucket for when you get so excited you lose all sense of financial literacy.
But, “You can't come here once,” says his daughter, “You have to come multiple times. There's so much. But I'm proud of him. He just likes to give back, to share his passion.”
