What's Happening in Youngstown, OH…

Towards the end of the year, the Youngstown Model Railroad Association hosts a Model Train Open House, and this year’s event is already drawing enthusiastic visitors.

The Open House is the Association’s major fundraiser for the year, with the money raised going back into the organization to keep it operating. There are approximately 40 members, and for 38 years, working together, they have been improving and growing the model trains that are located at Association headquarters.

Train enthusiasts enjoy a detailed layout on the building’s lower level. The HO-scale shows a number of scenes, including urban areas, rural settings, and mountains. A layout depicts the appearance of the South Side of Youngstown in the 1950s. Among its features are a replica of a Pennsylvania Railroad cooling tower once located in Girard, Pennsylvania, as well as an amusement park, a steel mill, and a freight yard. HO-scale trains are smaller and children can handle them more easily than larger scale.

Larger O-scale trains are on the first floor, and remind visitors of the classic Lionel trains that have been popular throughout the nation for over a century.

The open house continues on December 5 and 6, from noon until 6:00 pm. Association members could make sure Youngstown residents know about the event by working with a postcard printing company to create mailers for the community, reminding them of the upcoming dates.