Train Song of the Month
Presented by Frank Reed

The Snow Came Down

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (live 2023)

https://youtu.be/k2nnJsG3_z0?si=FLB-VE-t9roxuuzx

“The Snow Came Down”  is a Christmas song from the 1998 album The Christmas Attic from the band Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O’Neil.  The band gained in popularity when they began touring in 1999 after completing their second album, The Christmas Attic, the year previous.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas 🚂🎄☃️

For more “train songs” check out the “Train Songs for Model Railroad ” YouTube playlist at

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL07n2-n5FoRHYzhKfA--soywuLOFvEv1l&si=IODFaTIeOe7OBQ7G

Gift Shop

Our Gift Shop is gradually improving. We have added a few new products in preparation for the Holidays, including several children's books, more train shirts, train ornaments for your tree, KATO tracks and locomotives, N scale rolling stock, scenery items, etc. If we don't have the specific product or size you are looking for, try searching our affiliate webstore at the online BYMRR.Store!                                                                        

STEM/STEAM Program

STEAM Center at the Model Railroad Museum

We have two groups that have joined and participate in our STEAM Program. This is the younger group who met recently on December 6 to start building a new diorama, their second, since they started the program several months ago. The theme for this diorama is "Winter Wonderland."

The worktables where the children use their imaginations and creativity to develop their own ideas about building a themed diorama. The next session will be held from 1-3pm on January 7.

The dioramas they started on December 6 will be completed in their next class on January 7. Our next issue will show how talented our young modelers have become.

After the modeling session, we had even more fun in the main part of the Museum by participating in a scavenger hunt. We had a detailed list of items that the children had to search for and find on the layouts in the Museum. They found out on their own that they were more successful if they formed groups of three or four, which made them more efficient.

Our second group, consisting of  teens in high school, will meet again in January, to continue building their own 4' x 8' N scale layout. The trackwork and wiring is mostly completed. They are now working on landscaping, scenery and structures. After the modeling part is over, they get to run trains on the bigger layouts in the main part of the Museum. These sessions are enjoyed by all - the students, the teachers and the parents. 

What's Ahead: The Green Signals are Lining Up!

We wanted to give you a glimpse of what's ahead for the Museum. Most of you already know that the City of Norfolk is planning on repurposing the 
MacArthur Center. Many of the businesses that previously occupied its walls have moved away.  That seems to be what is happening to most malls these days, except for the lucky few, like Lynnhaven and Patrick Henry. Nevertheless, I believe our Model Railroad Museum has been a significant attraction for the mall and for the City. Fortunately, Norfolk has extended our lease until June of 2026 at least. We are hoping we could stay 'till the end of 2026.

But we understand and have no illusions about the fact that our presence there will probably come to an end  sometime within the next year. However, we remain committed to our mission to continue to bring the art and science of model railroading to the people of Hampton Roads. There is just too much railroad history in this area to ignore.

So we want you to know that we are not giving up! We intend to be on the forefront of developing a new multicultural arts center in the Hampton Roads area that will include a large model railroad display among many other forms of art, music, education, history, and entertainment. We are aggressively working on plans to bring this to fruition sometime during 2026. Stay tuned!

The Art of Model Railroading

AI generated image of model train and surrounding scenery.

Model railroading isn’t just a hobby—it’s a blend of craftsmanship, storytelling, engineering, and imagination. At its best, a model railroad is a living miniature world where history, motion, and artistry meet on a plywood canvas.

More Than Trains on Tracks

While trains are the stars, the real magic lies in everything around them. Model railroaders sculpt mountains, pour rivers, plant forests, and populate towns with tiny lives frozen in time. Each layout tells a story: a sleepy branch line in the 1940s, a bustling modern intermodal yard, or a mountain railroad fighting gravity and weather.

Craftsmanship in Miniature

From hand-laid track to scratch-built structures, model railroading rewards patience and attention to detail. Weathering rolling stock to look sun-faded and grimy, painting backdrops to suggest endless distance, and tuning locomotives for smooth operation are all acts of quiet artistry. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s believability.

The Art of Illusion

Great layouts use visual tricks borrowed from theater and painting:

• Forced perspective to make scenes look larger than they are
• Selective compression to fit real-world railroading into limited space
• Lighting and color to suggest time of day, season, or mood

When done well, a small room can feel like a journey across hundreds of miles.

Storytelling Through Operations

Many model railroaders design layouts around realistic operations. Trains have purposes, schedules, and destinations. Switching industries, dispatching traffic, and running sessions with friends turns the layout into a collaborative narrative—part game, part historical reenactment.

A Personal Expression

No two layouts are alike, because no two model railroaders are alike. Some chase prototype accuracy down to the last rivet. Others focus on whimsy, nostalgia, or pure motion. The art is in making choices—what to include, what to suggest, and what to leave to the imagination.

Why It Endures

In a fast, digital world, model railroading offers something rare: slow creation with tangible results. It’s hands-on, thoughtful, and deeply satisfying. You don’t just watch trains run—you build the world they run through.

Model railroading is a unique three dimensional moving art form that you can operate, deeply appreciate, become personally involved with, tell a story, make a statement, bring us home, have fun with, and share with others. It is something you imagine, design and create as a part of yourself. It shows who you are to the rest of the world. And it constantly teaches you new things.

Videos of the Month

Christmas Winter Wonderland

2025 Christmas Village

Christmas Tradition: Train around the Tree -
Why do we still do this?

Thank you!

Thanks for reading our newsletter and for visiting our website. Please stop by from 12-6 on any Friday, Saturday or Sunday to see what we're working on. We love seeing and talking to our visitors. We're on the second floor of MacArthur Mall in Norfolk, VA. If you have any questions, call 757-816-8399. Hope to see you soon.

Volunteer

(Endorsed advertisement)

Welcome to

New Tracks Modeling!

New Tracks Modeling is an exciting digital opportunity to obtain mentoring to help you improve your modeling.  You will meet talented modelers and manufacturers from all over the world who will share their model building expertise and artistic advice.  New Tracks Modeling is open to all modelers of all skill levels in any scale or gauge.

Our Shows are live every Wednesday evening at 7pm Eastern/4pm Western on Zoom and YouTube. By subscribing to our website newtracksmodeling.com you’ll receive email notices containing links to both the Zoom and YouTube presentations.

New Tracks Modeling Mentoring Scholarship

Your donation will help to provide scholarships for model railroaders who are HS graduates and continuing their education in a STEAM field.Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

To donate click on this link.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/038439bf-a552-44e2-9b46-ef54aaa0e274

We Are Open for Group Tours

If you have a school group, senior group, church group, assisted living patients, etc. that you would like to get out to explore the world of model trains, let us know. We'd be happy to schedule a group tour for you anytime at no cost. To make the arrangements, call 757-816-8399, or 757-904-1379.

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The Birth of Virginia Beach

We have created and published a new historical document on the Birth of Virginia Beach. This has been written by our historian Warren Leister after researching the era and the people involved for several years. Excepts have been published here in our newsletter previously, but the information is now available all together in a 99 page document that you can purchase in our store. It factually explores the events, the dedicated people and the interesting culture in which they lived. Pick up your copy today!

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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