Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Dennis Mamone of Poland shows the new Willy Wonka train set he will be donating to Akron Children’s next week.

POLAND — Dennis Mamone enjoys his hobby of model railroading. He is heavily involved in the hobby, and is using it to give back and help children who are in rough situations.

Next week, Dennis will be delivering a brand new Lionel “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” train set to Akron Children’s (hospital) that will bring joy to children in treatment at the hospital.

“I wanted to donate something in my wife, Anna’s name,” Dennis said. “She was a good hearted person and was always giving to those in need.”

Dennis said it all came about when he saw the toy drive the Canfield Police Department was having for the hospital’s Mahoning Valley campus in Boardman. The event was very successful, but it was lacking a nice train set.

“I called ACH,” he said. “I had the green light to donate a new train set for the children.”

He went to Crouse Mill True Value Store in North Lima and located what he thought would be the perfect set.

“My kids grew up on Willie Wonka,” he said. “I am a Willie Wonka man and I love the movie.”

The special Lionel set includes a colorful Wonka engine and two train cars with Oompa Loompa characters from the movie moving around when the train is in motion. It also has a matching caboose. It comes with enough track to make a 40-inch oval and has bluetooth capability. A child in a wheelchair could easily control the train, and it has voice command possibilities that a handicapped child could use for operations.

“The donation of an inclusive train brings more than just smiles — it brings connection, confidence, and joy to our patients of all abilities,” said Jamie DeMain, manager, volunteer and visitor services. “It serves as a powerful reminder that every child is seen, valued and included in the magic of play. We are grateful to the generous donors in our community who make moments like this possible.”

Dennis has been in the model train hobby for many years. He really cranked it up when he retired from the Youngstown CIty School District, where he served as a history teacher for 36 years. He also taught six years at Youngstown State University and after retiring from there, he brought a new train show to the area.

A few years ago, he started the “Iron and Steel Model Train Show” at St. Mary’s Assumption Social Center, 356 South Belle Vista Ave., Youngstown. It has increased in size and this year’s show — which is Saturday — has 135 vendor tables. It has been so successful that Dennis has scheduled a second event on Nov. 8, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the social center. The November show is titled “Iron and Steel Autumn Leaves Railfest.”

“The shows have been so successful, I felt it was time to give back,” he said. “It is what my Anna would have wanted.”

Anna died May 10, 2022 after a battle with cancer. Anna used to help Dennis with his own model train layout in the basement of their Poland home. She enjoyed the hobby as much as Dennis did.

After Anna’s passing, Dennis moved to a condo and started a new train layout. He also became an important member of the Western Reserve Historical Railroaders (WRHR) who operate a model train display at the Canfield Fair.

Dennis has a fascination with local history and was a key driving force for helping bring the scale steel mill to this year’s display at the fair.

His passion for the hobby along with being a member in the WRHR and running multiple train shows each year, keeps Dennis on his toes, but he is enjoying it.

“As my train shows increase, I’ll try to keep giving back,” he said.