Things were moving along fast inside First National Bank on the Plaza on Saturday morning, as members of the Santa Fe Model Railroad Club built their annual holiday train display.

A few of the members were rubbing down the tracks with paper towels soaked in rubbing alcohol, while others carefully wired the display, which is set up to run four model train layouts at a time.

"Instead of this being work, this is play for us," club president Dick Rotto said with a smile.

The display offers several New Mexico scenes. Adobe structures line the tracks, including a county jail and a church. A ski lift sits atop a large mountain. Other views show different slices of area life, complete with tiny humans.

Although the trains weren't out of their boxes yet on Saturday morning, Rotto picked up a select few to show what the display will have to offer. They include a passenger car from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films and the Polar Express from the hit animated movie. The display will have everything from freight trains to some "old-timer" passenger trains.

The display has been a holiday tradition at First National Bank for 55 years, and members of the Santa Fe Model Railroad Club have been in charge of building, taking down and maintaining the display for about 16 years, according to former president Mark Kellerman. During the showing, there are two shifts each day for which club members volunteer. They run the trains, answer questions and keep it safe — including keeping curious children (and adults) from poking the moving trains.

"The real highlight is getting it together and watching grandparents bring in their grandkids," Kellerman said. "The grandparents tell us that their grandparents brought them in 55 years earlier."

Viewing the holiday train display was a tradition of Rotto's long before he moved to Santa Fe in 2001. On trips to see his wife's parents, he would take his kids to see the trains. Now, he takes his two granddaughters to see it when they visit.

"To me, the highlight is the excitement of the people who come into the bank to watch the trains," said member Dick Haber — adding that the club members get just as excited.

"Somebody said to me the other day, 'These little kids really love these trains,' " Haber said. "And a club member said, 'Yes we do' — and he was 70!"

Kellerman remembers when he agreed to help build the display at the bank. He said the wiring was a mess and the display needed to be rebuilt.

"If OSHA had looked at the wiring, they would have shut us down," Kellerman said with a laugh. So he rebuilt the display and enlisted a few of his buddies to help him. He designed a display that would accommodate up to four trains at a time.

A few of the trains from the original display — such as the Lakawanna Train Master — will be featured this year. Rotto took the train, which Kellerman estimates is worth more than $700, to show a reporter. Kellerman pointed out the maroon car roofs, which indicate the set is a limited edition. The original roofs were painted black.

The Santa Fe Model Railroad Club has 55 members who have been model train enthusiasts since they were kids.

"I think many of the members in our club, including me, got involved with (trains) through Lionel Trains that our families set up during Christmastime," Haber said. He explained that Lionel Trains were popular toys after World War II. "Many of us are war babies; my dad did not see me until I was almost 3. When he came home from World War II, like many dads, he started to purchase a modest circle of Lionel Trains."

The display at First National Bank took approximately four hours to put together, but, Rotto said, "The joy on you see on a person's face makes it all worth it."

The display opens to the public beginning at 10:30 a.m. Monday. It will be open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., except on holidays, through New Year's Eve.

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.