Do The Locomotive

WEEKI WACHEE - A retired physics teacher took one glance at a museum art piece and knew he could replace it with something better.

He wasted no time proving it.

"I looked at that thing and said, 'I can beat that,'" said Wayne Holder, a wood carver who makes model car-sized replicas of everything from Model Ts to Fordson tractors.

This time he wanted to make a "General" - a Civil War-era locomotive once famously stolen by Union spies - and submit it to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Ga.

The museum replaced the old one with the new one. The model is housed in the same building where the real one is on display.

Holder made the first one from a four-by-four block of wood. Then he upgraded to fancier woods, such as cedar, walnut and maple. He has since made several improved versions.

"I don't like to paint stuff," he said as he traced his finger over the red cedar wood underneath the model. "I just like the works of the wood."

He spoke softly and there was little inflection in his voice, but his enthusiasm was evident by the expressions on his face. He smiled often while talking about his art.

There is more to Holder than his carpentry skills. The man knows a thing or two about mechanics.

In his living room sits a fully functioning pre-1954 Ami jukebox. Holder guessed it was made before 1954. That was the year they stopped making the models that played 78 rpm records.

"I looked at it for an hour before I decided whether I wanted to buy it," he said. He found it at a yard sale and it looked almost unsalvageable. Holder found a way.

He dropped the first nickel into the slot and nothing happened.

"What a jip," he said.

Then he inserted the second nickel and pressed a button. Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" sounded perfect. There were no scratches, crackles or pops.

He replaced a lot on the machine - including the amplifier - but some of the original parts are still intact.

How often does Holder enjoy such a relic?

"It only holds 20 records," he said. "You get tired of hearing it after a while."

His shop in his backyard is cluttered with wood and custom-made saws. He pointed to the stacks of wood he collects, almost none of which comes from Lowe's or Home Depot.

He has a friend in Ridge Manor who makes wood furniture. What he doesn't use, he will make it available to Holder.

He has another friend who works for the electric company. He cuts down trees and takes some of the wood to the sawmill. Holder gets his hands on some of that as well.

Much of what he makes remains in his house, but he has sold a few of his models - enough to pay for some of his tools in the shop.

Holder does not turn wood into locomotives for the fame (his work earned first prize in a Wood Magazine contest) or for the small fortune. He simply does it for the love.

No matter how tedious, he finds pleasure turning nothing into something.

"It keeps me off the street," he said.