The first floor of Lloyd Keyser’s Lake Highlands home is like most others in the neighborhood, with a dining room, kitchen and study. Climb the stairs to the second floor, though, and you’ll be stepping into another world.
The retired mechanical engineer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has recreated locations — including his hometown — from his childhood. He’s installed a specialized framework to put HO gauge trains and their tracks at eye level, and he’s set up dedicated lighting to monitor tiny details. An enhanced air conditioning system keeps the temperature perfect year ‘round for people and trains alike.
“I’ve been interested in trains since I could say ‘choo-choo,’” Keyser says. “All through elementary school, high school and college, I was into it deep.”
Keyser is dedicated to realism and accuracy, and he’s focused on prototype models from one specific year — 1954. American trains that year were in the process of transitioning from steam to diesel, and each model he runs was operating in Belle Plaine, Iowa, where he often visited extended family…