It’s that time of year again, when students of all ages are heading back to school. The Mon Valley Railroad Historical Society Inc., at 128 Pleasant St. in Morgantown, will open its doors from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday for a model railroad extravaganza.
Admission is free, though donations are accepted.
Come see model steam and diesel locomotives pulling heavy freight up steep mountain grades. Watch a coal train snake through winding curves past the mine and company town. Follow a passenger train as it pauses at towns both large and small to pick up travelers. Relive the exciting times of railroading in 1950s-era West Virginia. A new farm scene greets you as you enter and members have a new horse farm and have been working all summer on building a new coal mine.
The Mon Valley Railroad Historical Society has the largest HO scale model railroad in north-central West Virginia, with almost 700 feet of mainline. It is based on how the real railroads operated in West Virginia. The club’s fictitious railroad is called the Cumberland, Blackwater & Ohio Railroad. Its nickname is the “West Virginian.” The railroad stretches across the state with connections to Cumberland, Md., in the east and Cincinnati in the west.
In addition to the large permanent layout, the club will also be operating its modular layout with two additional trains.
The club hosts a program for kids of all ages called “Be a Visiting Engineer.” For a $5 donation, you can run one of the trains (with the assistance of a member) for 20 minutes. There will be an auction, model railroad videos, railroad music and a white elephant table with all kinds of model railroad items for sale. This year, there will also be a large collection of Lionel trains for sale. Refreshments will be sold. Free magazines, railroad postcards, tourist railroad and hobby shop information is also available.
For more information call Rich Henderson, at 304-276-1046.
