Narrow railroad tracks snake through the sun-dappled woods of South Kitsap Community Park in Port Orchard. On the concrete platform of the train station depot attendants in striped engineer hats and red bandanas hold back passengers anxious to board the trains. A train whistle sounds, the waiting crowd crane their necks to look down the track, and there it is, rounding the final corner and slowly pulling into the station: a scale model train bearing an engineer, conductor and load of cheerful riders, seated astraddle the line of ride-on cars.

The members of the Kitsap Live Steamers model railroad club have been providing rides on their trains for 15 years, and they never get tired of it. They obviously enjoy the train rides as much as the passengers do, who range in age from toddler to adult.

The club holds two public “run days” every month, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays. The next one is this weekend, Aug. 12. There is no set charge for riding the trains, but all donations go toward keeping the tracks and trains in operating condition.

Two popular annual events are the Easter ride and the Halloween Ghost Train. For that one the woods are decorated with spooky special effects. Funds raised from the Easter ride go toward supporting the South Kitsap Park and Recreation District, which is not supported by tax dollars.

Depot Manager Jeanie Springer estimated they have had upwards of a thousand riders on some days.

They also hold special “Camp Sparky” days for children with developmental disabilities. On a recent Camp Sparky day the riders were all smiles, and several never left the train as it went around and around the track through 10 wooded acres.

Most of the trains are inch and a half scale, club president Larry Harper explained, and are exact replicas of the original. They range from steam engines of the late 1800s to sleek, modern diesel engines.

“The steam engines actually run on steam,” Harper said, with the boilers powered by either propane, wood, coal or diesel. The diesel replicas are four-stroke gas engines, much like a lawn mower.

Passengers ride on a series of cars adapted for that purpose, from a flat car with a bench mounted lengthwise down the center to a box-like caboose that works well for younger riders.

The trains have been built and are owned by club members, who volunteer to operate the track as a way to share their love for their hobby.

Harper said the Port Orchard track is the only public track in Washington state. He noted that billionaire Bill Gates, who is a train enthusiast, has a private track on his Medina estate.

In addition to having fun, riders are given lessons on train safety, such as watching out for real trains at railroad crossings, and on the history of trains.

“It’s history in miniature,” Harper said of the trains.

With so many young riders the club members also take safety on their track seriously. The track and trains are inspected before each run, and each train carries an engineer and conductor. While the engineer operates the train the conductor faces the passengers to make sure everyone is behaving and having a good time. They have never had an accident or injury.

The maximum speed they run the trains is seven miles per hour, but five is closer to average, Harper said. But they can go faster, as members have found in testing the trains.

“It gets scary at around 12 to 13 miles per hour,” Harper said.

The Kitsap Live Steamers train track is located in South Kitsap Community Park, which is at the corner of Lund Ave. SE and Jackson Ave. SE in Port Orchard. To reach the park from the north, take SR 3 to the Tremont Ave. exit. Head east on Tremont, which will turn into Lund. Turn left on Jackson. The entrance is the first left.

For more information on the Kitsap Live Steamers visit www.kitsaplivesteamers.org.