From the Dome Car: Train 7 Track 4 (August-September 1997)

Remember when collecting President’s Choice trainsets was all the craze? Maybe some of you still have them in your basements or attics! When we cleaned out Morgan’s basement after his death, I think he had two of each set there. (Sold to support his widow, along with the rest of his model railroad collection.) Morgan was a big booster of Boris Polakow and his trainsets for Loblaws, seeing them as a way to introduce kids to the hobby. 

When we think of manufacturers of model railway products, names like Walthers, Model Die Casting and Athearn quickly come to mind. Chances are you wouldn't include Loblaws in that group, but since 1992 the grocery chain-giant has been one of the largest retailers of model trains in Canada, selling 60,000 specially-produced train sets. 

It all started with an idea by Boris Polakow, Vice President of Canadian Sales Development for Lob law's Private Label. As a kid, Boris was fascinated by trains, building three HO scale layouts with his brothers. While looking for new products to develop and introduce for his employer, he saw that many kids today still enjoy the hobby of model railroading. However, he was distressed to see many parents buying low quality train sets "that break a day after Christmas." 

Boris decided that if someone sold a high-quality train set at an affordable price, people would buy them. But when he told his colleagues, they weren't so sure. "A lot of people thought they'd never sell," he says. 

But all 10,000 sets of the first set were sold within days of being placed on the shelves. Loblaws has never looked back. 

Since that time, three more sets have been produced, with the fifth due out this fall. The new set, called President's Choice Collector Series No. 5, features a CNR 4-8-2 'Mountain' steam locomotive numbered 6043 made by International Hobby Corporation, along with five individually numbered iron ore cars and a specially decorated caboose, an oval of track and a transformer to complete the set. It will retail for $89.99. Also being released at the same time is a Heljan Cheyenne Coal Bunker kit, which will sell for $14.99. 

Only 10,000 train sets have been produced and will be available at all Loblaw company stores across Canada; their advertisement appears on the inside front cover of this issue. 

One thing Boris never anticipated was how desirable the President's Choice train sets would become for collectors. The first set is now worth $500, if still in the original box. 

He says that as long as he's in charge of the train project, the sets won't be reproduced. "We've made a commitment to the collectors," he says, adding that even the size of the box has stayed the same over the years "so they can be neatly stacked in closets!" 

At CRM, we think Boris Polakow deserves a big hand. Although many of the sets are being purchased by collectors, they are also being bought by a lot of parents for their kids—and kids are the future of our hobby. Buying them a train set while doing the weekly shopping is one way of catching the hobby fever. While you're at it, why not buy two sets: one for the family and one to put away! 

At the other end of the spectrum, I had the pleasure of attending the CN Lines SIG convention a few weeks ago in Oakville, Ontario with lots of my fellow rivet counters and nit-pickers. Now, this was a convention! It was a very focused affair, and one that was very well received by all those in attendance. 

The organization was superb, the clinics all well done, the modelling displays impeccable and the friendships unmatched. The convention was attended by 248 registrants from all over North America; they were able to attend 18 clinics and display or view an entire hall of superb models. 

As a result of the convention it looks as if the CP Lines SIG will be re-born, and a meeting was held to see if a TH&B SIG was feasible to get started and run in conjunction with the CP SIG. There was also a meeting about the formation of a Canadian Railroad Manufacturing Association. All of this is good news for Canadian modellers. 

And finally, a hearty congratulations to John (Moe) Smith from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and J. Craig Webb from Hamilton, Ontario, both Canadian first place winners at the NMRA National Convention model contest held in Madison, Wisconsin in July. Moe sealed his win in the on-line structures category with his S scale 150-ton coal dock and Craig's CPR heavyweight diner with a completely detailed interior won the passenger car category. Both are great looking models. See you with the next issue.