LOCAL

Model train enthusiasts share their passion around central Pennsylvania

Lebanon Daily News

Members of Capital PenNScalers, a model train club based out of Harrisburg, have an enthusiasm for model railroading that goes back to when they were kids. And since the group was founded, they've shared their passion around the region.

For all of June, the group had a display set up at the Annville Train Station & Heritage Center, a building that has been completely moved two times, most recently in 1998 to where it resides at now on Moyer Street.

The very technical display was put together using sectional modules, similar to the way a sectional couch can be pulled apart and put together in different ways. Club members can pull apart modules and rearrange the order of the track any way they’d like.

The group, which has been around since 2004, uses the standard NTrak module format, the second-most popular model type.

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In a typical year, the Capital PenNScalers have a membership of about 20. The group has had members from all over Pennsylvania and also Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and one from Michigan.

President of the group Joe Palennchar said that while general interest for the hobby has been dwindling over the years, he's always happy to see younger people come in with their parent, excited to see the models. He said they occasionally let the children control the trains.

This is a section of the PenNscalers model train display shown recently at the Annville Train Station. This is a replica of Mount Rushmore.

Much of the members' passion for model railroading goes back to when they were children. More than one member shared a similar story of waking up Christmas morning to a brand new train set already up under the tree.

"I had three engines from when I was a kid," said John Reist, a member of the group for six years. "Then I had three daughters and stopped for a while."

Reist explained that he got back into it because his father, who had been collecting N Scale for years, had to move and had no room to put all of it. Instead of selling it or giving it away, Reist decided to get back into the hobby.

Reist said that for a while after he joined the Capital PenNScalers, his father would come to the displays to watch his old stuff be used again.

This is another section of the Capital PenNSCalers display when it was set up at the Annville train station recently. This section is one part of one half of a two-module cityscape.

The group's next stop is planned for Hershey, at the Hershey History center, located at 40 Northeast Drive, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on July 9 and 10.

Admission to the center is $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 4-17. Families get in for $10.

After Hershey, the group will be setting up at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg on Aug. 20 and 21 for model railroading days.

“It’s fun running little trains among the big ones,” Palenchar said.

In September, they will attend the N Scale Weekend in Altoona, a three-day event for N scale modelers and merchants from all over.

The group usually sets up somewhere for the Christmas holiday, but nothing for this year has been set in stone.

The train tracks are constructed in such a way that the Capital PenNScalers are able to add and remove different sections of the track whenever and however they'd like.

Many of the modules shown at the Annville display, like the quarry, Mt. Rushmore and Statue of Liberty, were donated by a former member of the group.

While there’s no estimate to how long a model might take, PenNScaler member Bruce Kohr said that he has had some that required 200 hours, 30 of which were just testing to make sure the track was working.

Prices can vary as well. For trains, it can vary depending on the model and what kind of electronics they contain. DC models, which only allow the user to control the movement of the train, typically cost less than the DCC trains, which allow the user to control lights, sounds and speed.

The model buildings themselves can sometimes cost up to $50-$60 apiece. On the other hand, many modelers collect the pieces for many years and often buy them second-hand.

N Scale models, like the buildings shown here, can sometimes cost up to $60 a piece.

While some model railroaders plan their layouts beforehand, many just add, remove, and switch things around for years until they move on to the next module.

“Any model train layout is never finished,” said Palenchar, “there’s always room to improve.”

For more information on how to join the Capital PenNScalers, visit www.pennscalers.org

The group meets every third or fourth Sunday of the month.