South Salt Lake Couple Creates Christmas Train Tradition

SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah couple has created an impressive model train display that has become a favorite holiday tradition for many families over the last three decades.

For the past 34 years, Doug and Diane Moffat have been inviting families to their South Salt Lake City home to watch model trains.

They said they love having their grandchildren come over to visit and see the trains, but they also love seeing the looks on other people’s faces when they walk in.

“We live in an area where people don’t live here very long because the houses are small and they come and they go,” Doug said. “Now, they have a reason to come back…A lot of them say this is what starts their Christmas for them.”

Doug and Diana Moffat.

The display started as Doug’s tradition when he was a kid. When he married Diane, she knew part of the deal was putting up with his trains.

“Now it’s like I’m about as obsessed as he is,” she said with another of her friendly laughs.

It’s now to the point where multiple trains running on several tracks next to figures, trees, powerlines, mini-buildings and even superheroes take up a good portion of their home from October through the end of the year.

“We just barely have enough room for what we have now,” Diane said. “We need the golf course to allow us space in the train season.”

Every year, more kids are learning about the tradition in the same way their parents did — by coming and looking at it all.

“It’s priceless,” Doug said. “We have kids who have been coming since they were little kids, three, four, five years old 30 years ago and they’re still coming today.”

The Moffats said they will be happy to see those familiar faces again next year.

“We just kept the tradition alive. It’s a happy, fun thing to do,” said Doug Moffat. “This is the reason why we do it.”

A model train travels along a track in the Moffats’ home.