All aboard in Ken's memory

A West Kelowna model railroader's creation is earning international attention.

Gerry Yurkoski's impressive setup caught the attention of U.S. digital magazine Trackside Modelling.

Dubbed 1963 Jerome, the realistic model railroad was inspired by Yurkoski's close friend Ken Auld, who refered to Gerry as Jerome. He built the model in Auld's memory after he died five years ago. 

Yurkoski created the model using elements of Alberta and British Columbia for the scenery. 

"I wanted to bring a sense of realism to it. There's little pieces of my life in the buildings," said Yurkoski, who has personal connections to both provinces. 

He spent two years building the structures and another three years building the railroad and laying the track.

"It was a huge learning curve," he said. "I maybe bit off more than I could chew, but it turned out pretty good."

Trackside Modelling is coming to the Okanagan to cover Yurkoski's model, and he hopes other model railroaders in the valley will send in photos of their work for consideration as well.

If you're interested, contact Gerry Yurkoski at [email protected].