HANNIBAL, MO -- The holidays bring movie favorites like A Christmas Story, or Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
If Becker Spaun had a movie, you might call it Trains, Trains, and more Trains.
Spaun has a train collection that would make any train enthusiast envious.
KHQA got a special look into Grandpa Becker's Train Station.
"When I was very young, my dad would take me down to a railroad yard, and we would watch the trains come in at the passenger station. And we'd go out to the freight yards and watch the trains. I've got pictures of me with my first train set when I was about two," said Becker Spaun.
From that point on, Becker Spaun was hooked. His collection is a growing number of train cars and an ever expanding train track.
"I went to work in 1975 at the Hannibal Fire Department, bought me a house, and started me a train set," said Spaun.
The original tracks spanned 27 feet long and 12 feet wide, about the size of this track. Now, that's just a small segment of his collection. (Nats) The entire sets travels wherever Becker goes. He and his wife have moved four times. Each time... A bigger basement... And more space for his trains.
"This train set will run five complete trains all going different directions. They don't interfere with each other, but they do have criss-crosses where they go from one track to the other if you have more than one person here to help keep the trains separated," said Spaun.
He buys his cars from hobby shops and online. Some cost around five dollars. Others... much more.
"If I find something I like and if it fits my motif, if I have the money to buy it, I'll pick it up but I try to do something that's very very close to Hannibal," said Spaun.
35 years later, there's still more work to be done.
"It's a project in the works. It's not pretty. I don't have any scenery. But I'll tell you, I've got what I consider to be the finest running trains that they've ever made," said Spaun.
Spaun says he and his wife have talked about moving again.
He jokes that her next move will be to assisted living... And his will be into the basement.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA