By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

When Marilyn Billinger's grandchildren come to visit her home in Victoria, there's no such thing as a good night's sleep.

With Union Pacific tracks running just 150 feet from the Billingers' home, the train whistle is like an alarm clock for the family.

"When my grandchildren spend the night, (the trains) come in at 12:30, 2:30, 5:30, and we're up to look at them out the door," Billinger said. "We've always loved trains."

So fittingly, Billinger, her husband, Robert, and 4-year-old grandson, Parker, were browsing the Western Kansas Train Show on Saturday at The Mall.

Ellis native Kevin Keeler, owner of KND Collectibles in Springfield, Mo., along with Tom Mai, owner of Around the World, organized the event, which brought in vendors from surrounding states and train enthusiasts from all over western Kansas.

The Billingers already have a model train at home, but were in the market for one Parker could take home with him.

"It's delicate, but (the grandchildren) do play with them," Marilyn Billinger said. "We always have to put on the train when they come over."

Hays resident Leon Wolf also brought his 4-year-old grandson, Sagan, out for the show Saturday, though he didn't know if he was in the market for a model train or not.

"I might, it just depends," Wolf said, acknowledging how much room one would take up in his home.

Wolf spent most of his time at the show keeping track of Sagan as he wandered curiously back and forth between the two large model train displays at the show.

"I have one that I bought for my oldest grandson -- that was seven years ago," Wolf said. "I had eight granddaughters, and finally after eight granddaughters, I got a grandson. ... I've got to keep the old tradition going."

Keeler, who attends about 30 similar shows a year, said the point was to get children acquainted with model trains and their parents and grandparents re-acquainted with them.

"A lot of people had trains as kids and they like to come in and see them and some like to re-buy them to have those childhood memories," Keeler said.

Saturday's Western Kansas Train Show was the first in the area since 1982, but Keeler hopes it can become an annual event, possibly even a two-day event depending on this weekend's success.

"I think everybody's been impressed," Mai said. "It's bigger than what they thought it would be."