By Rikki Cason<br><a href="mailto:rikki.cason@journal-register.com">E-mail Rikki</a>
Ever since he was a little boy, Bill Hendrickson has loved making models. He said that after watching the “Mutiny on the Bounty,” his father gave him a model of the Bounty.
“It was the first one I had,” Hendrickson said. “It went from there.”
Since then, Hendrickson has made countless numbers of models, many of them ships. Several can be found throughout the Medina Railroad Museum.
“They’re a lot of fun,” he said of making ships and boats. “There are no plans; we build them from pictures.”
Hendrickson said he prefers to look at a picture and create a replica, rather than follow plans. A picture was how he created a new suspension bridge, which was inspired by a bridge in Boston, Mass. The bridge, which was revealed Thursday, will be the newest addition to the model train layout at the museum. Building it by hand, Hendrickson has also created the other two bridges that are located in the diorama.
“It takes a lot of time,” he said. “I built half of it at home and brought it here.”
After mounting vehicles on the bridge, touching up the paint and adding lights, the bridge will be stationed in the layout for all to enjoy.
Museum founder and director Marty Phelps said that in total it took six months for Hendrickson to create the bridge.
“This is in honor of the outstanding work and dedication he’s done for the museum,” Phelps said of Hendrickson’s 12 years at the museum.
Bernz-O-Matic also donated clamps Thursday to hold the new bridge in place.
