Fulfilling a Dream

Father and son enjoying their model trains.

By Greg Warth

How many of us have had the dream of building a model railroad? Some of us have actually accomplished it by building layouts within our own homes or clubs. I’ve always loved trains since I was six years old and got that first American Flyer around the Christmas tree. And as I was growing up, I would occasionally get to see a real layout built by one of my friend’s fathers. I loved seeing that and I always knew I wanted to build one for myself. I finally started the process in 1990 and after the 5th generation of layouts built and torn down, at age 76, I now have a small semblance of my original dream, in N scale, in a small room partitioned off the attic. It’s not perfect but I enjoy it.

The fun of doing that has never resolved, and even now, I am building new and smaller layouts, just because it’s…well, fun. And I want to share that enjoyment with others. And now, over the past three-four years, several of my model railroad companions and I have invested a huge amount of time and energy into a new dream - to create great layouts inside a large museum for others to see and enjoy and operate – something special and spectacular - something people will be excited to see and continue to visit over and over again. We were driven to accomplish this, just for the love of the hobby if for no other reason, and to see the fun and excitement in others’ eyes, young and old alike, when they experience it.

Other groups of model railroaders have done this. Consider the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the Colorado Model Railroad Museum, the Texas City Museum, the Lehigh Valley and Keystone Club Railroad, just to name a few. Look even closer at Chesapeake Bay & Western RR in York County. These all started with a dream, a vision, a purpose, which eventually led to something great.

As we were planning this, we tried to imagine our own place in Tidewater, Virginia where we could build and develop our own “something great,” just as others have done in their areas – a place where we could create new ideas, use new technology, develop new works of 3-dimensional art for others to see and appreciate – a place where future generations of model railroaders will be born – a place where future educated engineers can learn about STEM/STEAM concepts. We imagined school children visiting every Wednesday, families streaming in and out on all the other days. Students will be constantly building and rebuilding layouts to work toward getting scholarships. We imagined teaching interested students about how to build a model or create a miniature landscape.

We have already accumulated an enormous amount of railroad history to use for the Museum, along with a huge collection of historical digital railroad images. This information has been put into a book by our historian, Warren Leister, about the very interesting early railroad transportation history in Hampton Roads, which was instrumental in the industrial development of Virginia and the rest of the country. We have a storage unit that is amassing a huge amount of physical donations already provided by the public to use in the Museum. The Museum itself has been tremendously successful. We have a steady stream of visitors when we are open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 

We knew this wouldn’t be easy when we started this project, but when you’re driven by a dream, you just keep at it ‘till you get it. Quitting is not an option. We have the desire, the knowhow, the plans, the nonprofit organization, the website (MRMHR.org); and now we finally have a space in which we can build and operate, thanks to the donations we have received and thanks also to the MacArthur Center for providing a renewable lease for a markedly discounted rate.

I would say our dream has been fulfilled. We are immensely grateful to all those who made it possible. We intend to continue this dream and make it grow into the best that it can be with your continued support. Thank you!

 "This is a brand-new Brill interurban car just built and photographed in Philadelphia, Pa in 1907, the year the original Princess Anne Hotel burned down on the oceanfront at Virginia Beach. This is the builder's photo of number 56 of the original pre 1982 Norfolk Southern subsidiary line "Norfolk, Cape Henry & Virginia Beach." These arch toped clerestory windowed passenger cars were among the most beautiful pieces of early railroad equipment ever made!" 
  This is but one example of the ten thousand plus images gathered together by the museum's historian of railroad equipment not only in Hampton Roads and the Mid-Atlantic, but across the U. S. and beyond.

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The Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads is a fantastic community center based on running, operating and even building your own model railroads! There's something for every age here.

Learn about the real history of this area and how important it was in the building of America. Watch how railroads were built, the people involved, where America's roots were formed. 

As they build their own railroads, students will be learning about science, electronics,  architecture, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the art of 3 dimensional model landscaping. They can earn rewards for completing projects and winning contests.

Try to solve yardmaster problems on a switching layout like getting the lumber from the forest to the furniture store, by way of the saw mill and the lumber yard.

Run your train around blockades and other trains to get to the station on time without speeding or crashing.

Play railroad monopoly using model railroads. Winner is the one who can collect the most cars into his yard within an hour.

There will be programs for autistic and special needs kids, disabled adults and veterans.

School tours. Holiday Shows. Library and video rooms.  Even youngsters will have their own wooden models to enjoy. There are classes and hands-on clinics for adults. Learn how to get started in the hobby. Or just enjoy the fun.

Everybody loves trains and this will prove it!  Just click on the either the blue DONATE button below to make it happen... 

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