Beth and Jonathan Montpas stand in the center of his O gauge model train setup. There also is a track above that carries a train around all four sides of the room.
Jonathan Montpas has more than 100 train cars.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
Toy trains have been a popular Christmas gift for decades. When Jonathan Montpas was 3 years old, he received a toy train for Christmas. While that may be his first memory of trains, that wasn’t the only thing that led him to a lifelong interest in trains.
When he was 3 years old, Jonathan Montpas received a small toy train as a Christmas gift. He’s pictured with his father, John, who worked 40 years for railroads before retiring 20 years ago.
His father worked for the Chicago and North Western most of his career before retiring with Union Pacific.
“I was always around trains,” Montpas says. “Often there were times when my dad would pick me up at one station, and I could ride with him on the train. Later, my mom would pick me up at another station.”
There also was a train in his backyard.
“The train was originally an amusement ride at Riverview Park in Marshalltown,” Montpas says. “Dad purchased it from the city in the mid-1970s when they no longer wanted it. It was a train I could ride in. Someone, usually my dad, sat in the engine and drove the train. It was on a loop track around our yard in Marshalltown.”
Throughout Montpas’ childhood, he received more model trains and tracks.
“I had a pretty good setup in our basement,” he says. “But once I was a teenager, I sort of lost interest. Eventually, my parents packed it all up in apple boxes. “
This shows a large section of Jonathan Montpas’ model train layout. He and his wife, Beth, had an addition to their garage built last year to house the train layout and other train memorabilia.
“I picked up the boxes, and moved them each time I moved,” Jonathan says.
Caught the lake bug
Jonathan and Beth Montpas have owned property on Lake Panorama’s west side for 10 years.
Jonathan grew up in Marshalltown and graduated from Iowa State University. He spent his career in digital marketing, and is now retired. Beth grew up in Osage and graduated from the University of Iowa. She had a long career in sales and now works as a life coach. They married in 2012.
Between them, they have six adult children, two grandchildren and one grandchild on the way.
Friends and family often give Jonathan Montpas items they think he might want to incorporate into his model train layout or suggest ideas. He received a photo of this actual billboard from a son and created this small replica.
Beth says they settled on a home at Lake Panorama, after catching the “lake bug. We considered Clear Lake and Lake Viking, but then we found Lake Panorama,” she says. “We decided being close to our part-time home would allow us to spend more time at our lake home. We’re also bikers, and we found we could ride our bikes from our home in Des Moines to our home here. That’s not something we could have done with other locations.”
The couple says they wanted a lake home for themselves but also as a magnet to get their adult children and grandchildren to visit.
“That’s working well,” Beth says, with a smile. “We also have lots of friends in the Des Moines area who love to ride their bikes to visit us. Some will ride all the way to our house on the west side. Sometimes we pick them up at the marina with our pontoon.”
Rekindling the love of trains
Herky the Hawk stands atop a train tunnel. Visible on the wall behind Herky is a replica of Kinnick Stadium. A neighbor, Alan Swett, added these items and a second Herky to the Montpas model train layout as a surprise.
“We were stuck inside our Des Moines condo. I decided it was time to set-up my trains in the basement,” he says. “I started with a sheet of plywood and the 20 to 30 train cars I had as a child. Then, through the magic of eBay, I just kept going.”
Montpas’ model train setup uses O gauge track, which is typically 1:48 scale. Working in his condo basement, he developed an elaborate layout of trains, tracks, buildings, landscapes, venues and more.
Three years ago, the couple had a detached garage built near their waterfront home. Last year, as they made plans to sell their condo and move to Lake Panorama fulltime, an addition was added to the garage.
“We built this specifically to house my train setup,” Jonathan says.
“At Christmas time, we hosted neighbors for an unveiling,” says Beth. “There are lots of lights incorporated into the layout, so it’s great to turn off the lights in the room at night. We served Polar Expresso martinis and had a lot of fun showing off the trains.”
A personal connection
Jonathan Montpas holds the two remotes he uses to operate all aspects of his model train setup; trains start and stop, speeds are adjusted, lights turn on and off, and train sounds are activated.
“I’ve incorporated things in the layout that are specific to my life,” Jonathan says. “I lived in Chicago for a while, so one section of track is elevated, like the L train tracks there.”
There is a small sign near a section of track that says Otis.
“It wasn’t a town; it was an area outside of Cedar Rapids where several railroad tracks crossed,” Jonathan says. “My grandparents lived there when my dad was growing up. The house was owned by the railroad where my grandfather worked. They rented the house for $5 a month.”
Foam is used to create a base for most sections of track. Montpas uses a knife to cut the foam to the needed size and shape and glue to connect pieces. Green paint is applied to make the foam look like grass. Trees and grass are found throughout the layout, some created, some purchased.
One train at the Montpas Station is pulled by a steam locomotive. Look closely to see the puffs of smoke.
“This truly is a creative outlet for Jonathan,” Beth says. “You can think of the trains as just toys. But to him, there is a deeper meaning, with the family legacy of many generations working the railroads. The train layout showcases his attention to detail. And other items throughout the room are here because they are reminders of his family.”
For instance, that first train engine Jonathan received as a child is tucked inside a special display box. Nearby is a pocket watch his great grandfather used when he worked on the railroad.
Trains and traveling
Jonathan’s interest in trains goes beyond his model railroad layout and family memorabilia. He also simply enjoys trains.
The couple spends two months each winter in Arizona, where they always find time to visit the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. The park includes a train people can ride, a railroad museum and a 10,000-square-foot model railroad building.
This train was in Jonathan Montpas’ backyard when he was growing up. It was originally an amusement ride at a park in Marshalltown. His father purchased it from the city in the mid-1970s and built a loop track around the family’s home in Marshalltown.
“Besides going to see Big Boy, we haven’t taken any trips specifically to see trains or ride train rides. But I see that in our future,” Jonathan says.
For now, Jonathan isn’t planning to expand his train layout.
“Although I don’t think I will ever be completely done with minor updates,” he says. “There will always be little things I want to do or add.”
A playful rivalry … and what’s next
A recent addition to the layout was a surprise. While Jonathan and Beth Montpas were in Arizona January and February this spring, a neighbor decided the train layout was missing something. Alan and Lisa Swett live next door and have been at Lake Panorama since 2009.
“They are huge Hawkeye fans,” Jonathan says. “Since I’m an Iowa State grad, we have a little rivalry going sometimes. When we got back home, I discovered Alan had added Kinnick Stadium along one wall and stationed two Herky the Hawk mascot figures in the train layout.”
Earlier, Swett handcrafted the Montpas Station sign that hangs on the wall over the model train layout.
Jonathan does have one train project planned for this summer. With the new addition to the garage complete, an area near the door needs sprucing up. He plans to do some landscaping work and add a larger G scale train and track to loop around and through nearby trees. G scale trains are the largest model trains available and best suited for outdoor garden railroads.
Jonathan’s father, John, retired to Hawaii 20 years ago after 40 years working the railroads. There he created an O gauge model train layout about half the size of Jonathan’s.
“He was a metal fabricator. When I was building my layout, we talked often about what I was doing,” Jonathan says. “He cut and welded support pieces for some of my tracks. Sometimes he sends me items he thinks I’d like, and I do the same with him. It’s a fun way for us to stay connected, and it brings back good family memories.”