Zane Trace National Trail Model Railroad Celebrates 50th Anniversary
ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Train enthusiasts and community members gathered in downtown Zanesville earlier today as the Zane Trace National Trail Model Railroad celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special open house.
The event was open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving visitors of all ages an opportunity to explore the club’s model train layout and see recent additions made by members. Admission was free, with donations accepted to support the club.
Club President Brian Harrier says the organization has come a long way since first establishing its current location in 2010.
“That’s our 50th anniversary. Open house. We’ve been in this location since 2010. We had a prior location for the market. We were there since I joined 27 years ago. And so we have come a long way in the last, like 16 years since we started here. We’ve done a lot of work to it,” Harrier said.
He added that members focus on recreating real-world scenery and railroad details to make the layout as realistic as possible.
While model railroading is an enjoyable hobby for many, it also provides opportunities to develop a variety of practical and creative skills.
Harrier says building and maintaining the displays involves everything from carpentry and electrical work to artistic scenery design.
“This hobby is special because you learn carpentry skills to build a bench work, electrical work to wire it up, use of scenery. So if you have like more artistic, like I feel like that, or just running trains if you like trains, some people don’t do anything to the layout and they just come out because they like trains,” Harrier said. “And it’s, I think kids and adults, both when they come up here, they’re wowed by what they see.”
The Zane Trace National Trail Model Railroad typically hosts around two open houses each year, welcoming the public to experience the hobby and see the work put into the layout.
The club says future open house events will provide additional opportunities for the community to stop by and enjoy the displays.
