The "Model Railroading Big Time: Part I" Story

1763 brick farmhouse in Lancaster County, PA

It was an ordinary day.  Pulling into the macadam lane of a farm in the rolling hills of south- eastern Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania.  The brick house that Jerry, my longtime friend and fellow shop teacher, and I had just passed along the lane was built in 1763 while the stone house about 100 yards further down the lane was built in 1733.  

1733 stone on the same property.

Our mission today is to visit with Linn Modinger who owns this functioning farm and is the President and CMO of the Strasburg Railroad.  Jerry and I, along with a few other model train buddies of Jerry, are arriving to view Linn's elaborate model railroad layout and spend a couple of hours "playing trains."  Jerry has been a train enthusiast since we met at the age of six.  Many a summer day we would visit his dad who worked at the Railway Express Terminal at the Lancaster Train Station.  We both lived about a block from the station; Jerry along nearby Manheim Ave. while I lived in the last block of North Queen Street.  We would each buy a 5 cent bottled Coke and patrol the two-platform station where freight, cattle and passenger trains came and went on an routine schedule.  The nearby Lancaster Stockyards, the largest and busiest stockyards east of Chicago, would load and unload cattle almost on a daily basis and was great entertainment for a couple of young boys.  

The heads of two model train enthusiasts can be seen
among the mountains and forests of the display. 

Well, today I was given the chance to see one of the most impressive miniature train layouts I have ever seen.  The layout features HO narrow-gauge trains and accessories rather than the usual model railroad HO trains.  Narrow-gauge is exactly what it sounds like with a narrower wheel base with much smaller sized engines and cars.  As we entered the windowless building on the opposite side of the lane from the brick house, we were met by Linn and another train enthusiast, Scott, who happens to be a policeman.  After introductions the door opened once again and in walked the final guest of the day, Dave, who works for the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, DC.  

Electrical panel to help control the flow of power to the tracks.

The building we are standing in was built in 1983 as a garage for a large, bus sized recreational vehicle for Linn's father William.  When his father died, Linn added to the building and began to use it for his hobby of miniature railroading.  Follow along tomorrow as the trains begin to run throughout the display.  You don't want to miss it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.