Larger locomotive part of Moore Museum model train event

A bigger train on longer track is one of the new additions for this year’s model train event at Moore Museum, says a volunteer.

Adding on to dinosaur and aerospace-themed installations making their return is a large or garden (G) scale engine on 36 meters of track in the museum’s Shaw building, outside the train room, said Tom Walter.

“Those trains are actually built to be run outside,” he said about the model twice as big as some of the Lionel miniatures on display.

“You can lay the track right in your garden,” Walter said. “Sometimes they can have their own snowplows so they can plow their lines as they’re running in the winter,”

In all there’ll be 14 trains on seven layouts at the family event from 1-4 pm July 2 at 94 Moore Line in Mooretown, Walter said.

“Some of the stuff is only there for the day, but most of it is permanent,” including the new G-scale setup, he said.

The event has run at the museum since 2013, when two donated layouts proved the impetus for opening its Lionel Model Train Room.

“They were pretty worn out by the time we got them, so we had to do a fair bit of restoration to them for scenery and so forth,” Walter said.

Save for three missed years because of COVID-19, typically 200 to 300 people turn out for the annual event, he said.

“I lose track of the people going through because it gets so hectic, which is quite gratifying,” Walter said, recalling one young visitor in March stood agape for some 10 seconds when she first entered the room and saw the setup.

“The nicest compliment,” he said.

When volunteers aren’t running the display, museum visitors can still push a button to make five trains on three layouts run for four minutes, he said.

Most of the museum’s collection of 30 buildings created by model railway craftsman Don Eastman will also be on display, he said.

Several buildings and layouts also refer to local history, he said, noting there’s also a Canadian National Railway caboose on display at the museum, and a handful of model train room volunteers available to discuss model railroading with visitors.

Museum staff plan various children’s events on the day.

“Plenty of things to see and do for the whole family,” a museum release says.

Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children and includes access to the rest of the museum site, Walter said.