By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Antique automobiles and model trains will be the main attraction on Saturday as Lake Charles Antique Car Club participates in a ‘cobweb’ tour.

“Once a month, a couple in the club will pick a destination to drive the cars,” Tommy Drake said. “It is top ‘blow the cobwebs’ out of the cars.”

Several members of the 60 member club have been interested in seeing Drake’s model train display, so Orange was selected for the tour this month.

Some owners will not drive their antique vehicles in the rain, but this tour will go on rain or shine.

“An antique car is one 10 years after it was made,” Drake said. “We have some from 1919 -1979.”

Approximately 18-25 cars are expected to travel through Orange at approximately 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

“They will travel Highway 12 to Hwy. 87,” Drake said. “Then travel down 16^th Street to Green Ave, turn onto MacArthur Drive and then down to Old Hwy 90 underpass. Final destination is Old First Orange Baptist Church.”

The church is located at 7925 Interstate 10 in Orange.

While the church does not sponsor Drake, he does use space at the church for working on his N scale model train set.

The set takes up almost three quarters of the 90 foot wide room.

“It is considered a very large layout for N scale,” Drake said. “The space suits me perfectly.”

Drake remodeled the room after the church suffered damages from Hurricane Ike, turning three classrooms into one large room.

When Drake is not spending time on his model train display, or spending time traveling with his wife, he is working on one of his three antique cars.

He has a 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk, a 1967 Ford Galaxy 500 convertible, and a 1931 Chevrolet two-door Sedan.

“The 1931 is a hot rod,” Drake said. “You know we all have to have a hot rod.”

The 1967 Ford Galaxy was an interesting find for Drake.

“I saw it listed in a national magazine,” Drake said. “Come to find out it was right here in Orange. I had never seen it on the roads around here.”

The cars and model trains will be on display from 11 a.m. – noon for those interested in learning more about the car club, or model trains.