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Meridian & Butler March
March Meridian & Butler
NeighborhoodNews
25
“My heart starts pounding in train stations,” admits David.
Neighbors
Photos provided by S.B. Atkins Photography
meet your
By Julie Slaymaker, Meridian-Kessler resident,
award winning journalist, and contributing writer
Boys and Their Toys • On the Right Track, David Nancrede
From retired mechanical engineer to model train engineer,
David Nancrede is still running his own railroad.
Since 1981, the former CEO of Nancrede Engineering has
amassed an impressive collection of HO scale model railroads,
which are housed in his gated estate on Washington Boulevard.
Built in 1907, the palatial home resounds with the clackety
clack and whirring sounds of Marklin train sets modeled after
high speed trains in France, Spain, England and Germany.
“I can run 16 trains,” says the tall and athletic avid collector
from the second floor, 16’x16’ bedroom he transformed into
model railroad magic. The layout is so huge; all but their grandchildren practically have to squeeze into the room sideways to
see the trains in action.
White, blue, and orange high-speed trains race across the
12’x12’ landscaped layout.
As a freight train rumbles by, David’s wife, Sally Falk Nancrede,
proudly points to the array of scenery pieces she has artfully
assembled. Pretty impressive considering she is the longtime,
national award-winning home furnishing reporter for the Indianapolis Star. She’s particularly pleased with the charming Lake
Maggiore scenery she’s created. “It’s a replica of the Italian lake
town of Stresa where we stay when we go to the Milan furniture
show,” she says while pointing to the elaborate lake ferry terminal she recently constructed.
“I make the houses or there would be no landscaping at all because
David is color blind,” reveals the vivacious and bubbly designer
whose passion for home fashions is well-known and recognized.
“We only play trains in the winter,” quips Sally, who enthusiastically remains “all aboard” with her husband’s hobby. “We like to
take train trips when we’re on vacation.”
A graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Grade School,
Cathedral High School and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, he has four Lionel trains displayed on wall shelves.
Pointing to them, he says, “That red Santa Fe Lionel train might
be the neatest train I have. It’s the classic Lionel train that
every boy wanted for Christmas!
(The original Lionel Corporation was founded in 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cowen and Harry C. Grant. Cowen utilized clever
marketing to convince department stores to put his toys trains
under their Christmas tree displays. That forever linked toy
trains to Christmas. An earlier train maker, The Ives Company,
was established in 1868 and is known for its slogan, “Ives toys
make happy boys.”)
David is a happy boy until one of his trains derail. When several recently jumped the tracks, David viewed the train pain scene
and with his dry wit said, “I gotta’ tell you, it’s ugly!”
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His intense perfectionism prevents him from viewing the trains
as a refuge. Instead, he spends his time meticulously fixing
them. And if that gets too stressful, he resorts to his other hobbies – driving his Jaguar and playing tennis.
David’s toys make for a happy boy!
If your family is interested in being featured in an upcoming issue of Meridian &
Butler, Please reach out to us and let us know! [email protected]. Thank you for
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