Family Reunited With Custom-Built Trains Stolen Before Christmas
RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) - It's a Christmas miracle for one family in Rancho Cordova.
Someone stole a trailer from in front of their home Friday night. Inside the trailer were full-sized, custom built model trains.
Peter Welch got his first look at his trailer Monday after it was stolen from his driveway just a few days ago.
"Oh my gosh, they are all still here," Welch said.
But it's not the trailer Welch was worried about, it was what was inside.
"A GP 38 train, a caboose, a box car," said Welch, listing all the trains in his trailer.
Welch says he and his father poured thousands of hours into crafting the custom-built model trains, now worth tens of thousands of dollars.
He started running the trains on local tracks about three years ago.
"We do public runs with them and pull about 300-400 people on a good weekend," Welch added.
In fact, Welch had planned to do a run at Haagen Park in Rancho Cordova on Christmas. Those plans were scrapped after thieves stole the trailer, and along with it, the Welch family's Christmas spirit.
"My grandpa came from Pennsylvania to see the trains, he's never seen them before. He also wanted to see his grandchildren riding the trains, but that was taken away," said Welch.
Relieved to find every train still bolted down inside the trailer, Welch says there would have been no way to recreate them again.
"The chances of finding another caboose are slim to none," said Welch.
With four generations of train-building almost gone, it's a Christmas Welch will surely never forget.
"I thought it would have been halfway to Mexico or something," said Welch.
Peter travels across the country to show off his trains. His trip to Arizona next month is back on, now that his trains have been recovered.