All aboard!

This Sunday, one of the oldest student-run organizations on campus, the Penn State Model Railroad Club, presented its new projects in an open-house-style showing for students and folks of the community to see.

After being granted a new space by Penn State, the club restarted its long-standing tradition of displaying its projects for the community in its new home. At the open house, there were three operating model railroads along with demonstrations of scenery construction, airbrush painting, soldering, electronic work, and more.

Now with that, let’s look at some of the ongoing projects.

All of the model railroads have to start somewhere, and there are many steps behind the scenes that go into the process of making the projects look hyper-realistic.

Honey, I shrunk the CATA Bus.

Members of the club had the chance to show off their designs and the logistics of their models to people who came to the open house.

Max Harris, the president of Model Railroad Club, knows the club is fairly niche but wants everyone to feel welcome to join no matter their major or background knowledge.

“It’s a hobby that encapsulates so many different hobbies all in one,” Harris explained. “And it’s really wonderful to be able to share it with others through this club.”

To ensure the trains run successfully around the track each time, members will follow the train’s path to spot any mistakes or more efficient ways for the railroads to run.

No detail was spared in the creation of the model railroads. Even with their miniature stature, the figures are almost a carbon copy of their larger and real counterparts.

Alongside the models, there was also a chance to attempt a puzzle called “The Time Saver,” in which players tried to reorganize the rail cars as quickly as possible with minimal moves. While it’s a game, it also helps players understand how a real railroad works.

Saving the best for last, what’s a model railroad set without Thomas the Tank Engine?