FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) One 94-year-old Fort Wayne resident, Dick Roe, has been crafting wooden trains for the past couple of years, having already made 24 of them with 10 more on the way.
Roe says he started the hobby after his wife passed two years ago, and after visiting a friend’s house, he was inspired by his friend’s trains.
“I asked him for the plans, and I got them, and I made a couple for my grandkids,” he said. “They liked them, so I made a couple more.”
He’s tried to work on them just about every day since.
“It takes three weeks, maybe, to make an A-train,” he said. “When you’re making nine at a time or ten at a time, it takes quite a bit longer, but it keeps me busy.”
After making trains for his family members, he expanded quickly; you can now find his trains at places like Parkview and Lutheran hospitals. He does not take monetary donations for the trains and instead encourages people to donate to children’s pediatric hospitals.
“It’s strictly up to them if they feel like they want to donate, that’s fine, if they don’t, that’s fine too,” he said. “It’s really gratifying if they do donate because it’s something that some people need.”
All in all, he says building trains does give him something to do, but impacting children means more.
“That’s the purpose of the whole thing, if I can get a kid to smile, it’s very gratifying,” he said.
