GREENSBORO, N.C. — Punch your ticket on the learning express! One model train club in our state is teaching the history of North Carolina railroads dating back hundreds of years.
What You Need To Know
- The Carolina Model Railroaders club started in the 1970s
- Its layouts represent actual tracks across the state
- The club is free and open to the public on weekends with artifacts and a library with the National Railroad Historical Society
- The 16th Annual Train Show will take place at the Lewis Center in Greensboro March 23-24
The Carolina Model Railroaders club is for all train enthusiasts, and the members are bringing their love for trains to the masses during their 16th Annual Train Show this weekend in Greensboro.
“It really is amazing too, when kids walk in here and they’re like ‘wow, look at that.’ We take it for granted, we see it every day,” said Kenn Cassell, a member of the CMR and National Railroad Historical Society-Greensboro Chapter.
The nonprofit was started in the 1970s working to preserve the heritage and history of the railroads in Greensboro and the state. CMR has multiple scales of trains with some making noises such as break squeals, honking and other noises, along with terrain and buildings that are handmade and painted, taking years to complete the layouts.
“I've been a member here like 10 or 11 years now and haven't even started mine [layouts], I’ve been too busy building these,” Cassell said.
Their HO-scale layout runs about 1,200 feet of mainline track, modeled after the real railroad systems that run through parts of the state, with shrunken bridges, buildings, cars and people, bringing the layout to life.
“We have track route regulations that we want our members to operate just like a real train would operate,” Cassell said.
The Carolinas Association for Passenger Trains said last year 313,264 passengers traveled by train, along with 11.4 million pounds of freight in our state and with $794 million being brought to the economy annually, according to the North Carolina Railroad Company.
“Greensboro’s nickname is the Gate City, and it got that nickname from being a crossroads for trains in the state of North Carolina,” Cassell said.
Not only do the layouts represent the actual tracks that run throughout the state, the club located on the west side of the Greensboro train station has other historical items with the National Railway Historical Society, including china, lanterns, conductor hats and more.
“We are open to the public on weekends, and we welcome people to come and visit. There's no charge, and it's a great opportunity to come and learn about railroad history. We actually have a lot of artifacts here, but we also have a library that shows a lot of railroad history,” said Donald Arant, the treasurer of CMR and president of NRHS Greensboro Chapter.
The club also makes models of other locations, such as the city of Lexington, and has made layouts for children museums in the past.
The 16th Annual Train Show will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 23-24 at the Lewis Center in Greensboro. For more information and the flyer, visit the club’s website here.
