Chuck Foley’s eyes light up as he gives the grand tour of his own miniature world, complete with rising mountains and steep, tree-covered slopes.
It’s been called a toy train village, although that rings hollow compared to the real thing. More than just toy trains, the project tells the story of Foley’s life, each addition to the landscape an embedded reference to something important to him. A town named after great-grandchildren, a shop to honor his late friend.
The sprawling set, taking up most of the space within the old Foley’s Sign Co. near 35th Street and Cleveland Avenue, was first set in motion almost two years ago.
Foley does think he goes about his hobby a bit differently than other toy train enthusiasts. For him, it’s really not about the trains, but the world he creates around them.
“To me, the scenery is the whole thing,” Foley said. “I wanted something to show my creativity.”
Previously, Foley worked as a painter of signs and race cars through his shop while also working in the engineering department of a phone company. Before that he raced a bit himself.
Things changed for Foley in 2014, when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He spent the next few years in and out of the hospital, and with arthritis affecting a decades-old injury to his back and multiple spinal surgeries, Foley was unable to continue painting race cars.
Working on the trains and scenery that surrounded them was a way for Foley to continue expressing his creativity while putting less strain on his back.Attention to detail is Foley’s signature in this project.
“It’s amazing because we’ve had friends come over and, with it being so big, they think they’re looking at everything,” Foley's partner Susan Evans said. “But then they come back, and they’re like ‘Oh, I didn’t see that.'”
Like a forest ranger in the watchtower. Mountain lions creeping in the shadows. Paintings on the inside of buildings, and miniature people going about their lives. If there’s a tiny deer crossing sign near the woods, be on the lookout for tiny deer nearby.
While Foley uses kits and sets for some of the pieces, a lot of it is handmade, including every bridge and many of the buildings, a testament to his engineering expertise. The trees are also handmade, and he lays his own static grass with a machine he modified himself to get the most realistic effect.
The rivers, streams, waterfalls and lakes are mostly a combination of clear caulking and hot glue, a process that can be painstaking and slow, Foley said. The payoff, though, looks dynamic and fluid, with visible ripples and currents.
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Foley used to spend up to 12 hours a day working on the village, though back problems have caused him to slow down the past few months.
He's also been a musician since the late 1960s, and even toured with Bob Dylan one summer. Now, Foley plays in a band with his son and grandson, called the Pizza Delivery Guys.
“To be honest with you, I’ve had more fun with this band than I ever had playing with Bob or anyone else,” Foley said. “This is something really special.”
His band is one of the many life moments that’s made it into the village, complete with a miniature tour bus and equipment truck. Foley pointed out a miniature version of his shop, and looking closely, there’s a man working on a race car, and another behind him with a cane, representing the young and the old versions of himself.
There's also little hardware shop in honor of a friend who worked in hardware and was planning on opening up his own shop before he died.
The small tribute is just one of the many personal touches, with a small photo of his late friend inside the replica store.
Showing people around his landscape is one of the highlights of the project for Foley. As he guides his guests around the expansive map, he likes to point out the best vantage points and angles and explain the stories behind the details.
It’s mostly friends and family who come by to look at the elaborate setup, but Foley hopes to see more visitors in the future. If anyone wants the grand tour, he said to just call him at 402-613-2792 to set up a time.
Foley has had his share of frustrations with the craft, but he also said it’s also gotten him through some tough times. And he’s already looking for ways to expand the village even more.
“If I hadn’t had this, I’d hate to think where I’d be,” Foley said. “This is what keeps me focused.”
The main line sits on a trestle bridge that Chuck Foley made by hand. "Most people do this because they like playing with the trains. I love the scenery," Foley says
A graffitied model train car sits on the tracks on Sunday. Chuck Foley paints the graffiti by hand, often basing it off what he sees on trains in Lincoln.
Chuck Foley goes about his hobby a bit differently than other toy train enthusiasts.“To me, the scenery is the whole thing,” Foley said. “I wanted something to show my creativity.”