Model Train Display Being Planned for Railroad Day

The model train show that drew an estimated 1,000 train lovers to the Eagles large hall last March, will be repeated Saturday, Sept. 27, for Railroad Day.

The Route 66 Model Railroad Club and Pacific Partnership will host the event.

Some 40 model railroad dealers operated 70 tables in the March show, according to Bob Bober who co-chaired the event with Ron Sansone.

The model trains ran the gamut. The Amtrak Model Railroad Club ran half-a-dozen trains around a loop layout that included towns, trestles, wooded hills, tunnels and bridges.

The models exhibited and offered for sale ranged from the tiny Z gauge to the big standard gauge.

Two large model railroad layouts also were set up with moving trains.

The Jefferson County & Southern Model Train Club set up a 20- by 32-foot HO gauge with three trains running in both directions and a panoramic backdrop.

The Amtrak Model Train Club set up an 8- by 20-foot looped display that had half a dozen trains traveling through small towns, country landscapes and through tunnels under mountains. It was not unusual for three trains to pass each other in one location.

A Museum of Transportation booth inviting people to volunteer at the museum as conductors, tour guides, restoration or in the museum library, displayed a panel of photographs of restored engines and cars.

When trains arrive at the museum they’re usually rusty and dirty. The restoration volunteers clean, sand and repaint the engines or cars.

Funds raised by the show will be used to build a model train display in the Route 66 Railfan building at 100 E. St. Louis St.

The show will again take place at the Eagle Hall.