Rochester Model Railroad Club Annual Open House

The Rochester Model Railroad club is one of the oldest such clubs in the country and turns 80 years old this year. It began in the basement of a small radio and electronics store on Genesee Street and was originally called the Kodak City Model Railroad Club. It now resides in its current location in the basement of the First Universalist Church in downtown Rochester and is now called the Rochester Model Railroad Club. It is a spectacular 40’ x 60’, double main line layout, approximately 350 feet long, featuring a HO scale railroad built to capture the flavor and operation of railroading from Jersey City, through northeast Pennsylvania and the rolling hills of Western New York to the busy city of Buffalo. Geneva Station, Victor, Rochester Junction, Caledonia, and the Buffalo Lackawanna Terminal are some of the places accurately represented in miniature along the railroad. Members have used photos, actual plans, on-site visits and pictures to recreate many of the scenes, buildings and bridges of the various railroads and towns in the area. One of the highlights of the layout is the beautiful Lehigh Valley Gorge. Visitors will be surprised at the detail and artistry of the layout. During the annual open house there will be a continuous parade of trains, ranging from early steam-powered locomotives to today’s modern diesels. Thomas the Tank Engine will make a special appearance for the children. The railroad club’s open house will be Saturday, March 2nd from 10:00am until 5:00pm and Sunday, March 3rd from 1:00-5:00pm in the basement of the First Universalist Church on South Clinton Avenue in Rochester. Admission is $5.00 for adults; children 12 and under are free; and there is a $15 maximum for a family. The basement of the church is not handicap accessible.