GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — It took about nine hours on a weekday, but Jim Hall was determined to get it right.

A faulty wiring connection at Cross Orchards Living History Farm — bringing train traffic to a slow grind in some sections of the track — was fixed just in time for the December opening of the Grand Valley Model Railroad Club’s 20th annual Christmas train show.

“I was here working on it until about 1 a.m. on a Friday,” said Hall, a club member for the past five years.

“For me, it’s all about that feeling of accomplishment when something’s done right. When you see the kids having a good time, it’s all worth it.”

Hall, 65, is a semi-retired teacher who said he cut back on his substitute teaching hours to give more time to the club’s holiday shows.

This group of local model railroad enthusiasts has worked years on their existing layout — a passion which requires the skills of electricians, architects and historians with an eye for detail on the 1950s era Rio Grande Railroad.

Last Sunday marked the end of the club’s four-week consecutive run of shows. Club president Mickey Nuttall says a tough economy and tighter family budgets didn’t impact attendance.

“It’s been probably the best year I can remember,” Nuttall said. “The past couple Saturdays have been so busy, it’s been tough to move around.”

This despite the club’s decision to raise family admission prices from $5 to $7.

By 11 a.m. last Saturday, a crowd of roughly 25 people had paid admission — $7 for families, $4 for adults and $1 for children under 12 — for a glimpse of the group’s work.

A project that started in the spring of 2006, the railroad club today has finished about 1,000 feet of track, which is fashioned after the Rio Grande Railroad’s journey from Salt Lake City to Denver.

The most recent addition can be found on the far west edge of the railroad lines, where a raised platform holds a miniature storefront depicting Aspen along with Glenwood Canyon.

The railroad’s Rocky Mountains are made up of cardboard covered in newspaper, all layered by paper towels soaked in plaster of Paris.

While the model railroad club has about 30 official members, about a dozen or so contributed to this year’s train show.

Hall, meanwhile, said when he wasn’t troubleshooting the wires, he helped build the scenery with various carpentry tasks.

“I had my trains as a kid, then I got out of it, now I’m back into it,” Hall said, adding he works on the railroad three to four times weekly.

“It keeps me out of trouble.”

Reach Paul Shockley at pshockley@gjfreeprees.com.