Major carving projects are a part of the larger scope of activities the CCA undertakes in its mission to promote the art of caricature carving. The CCA Train is our third major project, beginning as a suggestion during our 2004 Annual Meeting in Dollywood. CCA members volunteered to take on major portions of the project including the steam engine and tender, log car, passenger car, and the old red caboose. The rest of us contributed carvings, buildings, and accessories to complement the train. We returned to Dollywood for our 2005 meeting with the bulk of the train (except for the log car, which was "misplaced" by the airline, and went missing for several weeks). Collectively, we arranged, rearranged, and arranged again until we felt the train had balance, and each piece was appropriately displayed. It was a job well done…well, almost done. On careful examination it became clear that we needed more carvings to round out the scene. So, after setting the train up for its debut at Dollywood, we agreed to bring the additional carvings to complete the scene to our next annual meeting. What began as a one-year project ultimately spanned two years. In 2006 we added the final pieces, and the train became the final project you see here.

The CCA Train was a featured exhibit in 2010 at Silver Dollar City's 50th Anniversary Celebration and their National Harvest Festival. Silver Dollar City hosted over a quarter of a million visitors during the festival, and since our train was featured on the Square near the park entrance, many of those visitors stopped by to view the train. Members of the CCA who spent time carving during the festival can readily attest to the impact the exhibit had on promoting the art of caricature carving. The train seemed particularly fascinating to children, for which we couldn't be happier.

Carving an 1880's Western Train is available through Schiffer Publishing.