Rochester Model Railroad Club

Decades ago, a friend married and moved in with a man who had a multi-room model train set in his basement - it was incredible to behold.  I was aghast when they moved to another state, leaving the entire creation to the new owners, who probably destroyed it.  So I couldn't resist popping in to the basement of the First Universalist Church downtown this weekend for the annual open house of the Rochester Model Railroad Club.  It was fascinating to see these grown men (and yes, the club of around 75 members, 25 of whom are 'active,' is mostly men, and mostly retired) proudly showing off their hobby, eager to answer questions.  I suspect they were also hoping to generate some interest among the many young boys who were entranced by the trains (I was always more interested in the architecture and landscaping...).

The club has operated 24 of their 75 years in the basement of this church, and they meet weekly, building new buildings, rerouting tracks, making refinements to their HO scale model railroad to be more historically accurate. When I asked if "Jersey City" was based on a historical photo, the club member shook his head, but it didn't matter - its density made it feel like that city would have decades ago.

He pointed me in the direction of "Rochester Junction," which was a replica of an old local station.  I got there just as a train was trundling past, not stopping for the passengers patiently waiting on the platform...


The autumnal forest of the "Lehigh Valley Gorge" was probably my

favorite scene, although it involved virtually no buildings.  It reminded me of Letchworth Park.   It also made me wonder if anyone ever dusts the railroad, or if that would be dangerous, with all those little people and lampposts and cars that could get displaced.  I didn't want to be rude and ask about that, so I just thanked the gentlemen on my way out for sharing their passion with us for the weekend.