Model Train Club Holds Open House
Horses graze in a pasture, a Native American tribe enjoys a campfire, patrons exchange stories over a meal at the diner, an elderly couple sit on a bench waiting for the next train, children giggle on the playground, two friends canoe along a river while another duo sit on a cliff’s edge fishing and goats scale a mountainside.
These scenes are picturesque—like something out of a well-budgeted movie, and they are the products of the intensive hours put in by the 70-plus members of the TMB Model Train Club.
Since 2013, the club’s 4,000-square-foot space in Farmingdale has housed 10 trains running along 19-scale-miles of mainline and branch-line track, 3-scale-miles of subway track, a fully operational logging line and an interactive model train layout that was featured on the “Blue Comet” episode of The Sopranos. All of this is on display for curious members of the public to see during the club’s open houses.
Onlookers both young and old will delight in the intricately detailed tracks featuring farms, forests, towns, New York City, industrial sites, a carnival and so much more. The longer you gaze at a particular scene, the more you’ll discover. All handcrafted, the scenery is 
ever-changing as club members are constantly working together to add more detail, new features and maintain the setups’ pristine condition.
Every other weekend, curious visitors from around both Long Island and the country visit the club during its open house, garnering anywhere from 800 to 1,100 visitors per day. The next open house will run from Saturday, Jan. 19, to Sunday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Open houses are free to attend, but guests are given the option to make a monetary donation of any amount.
Attend the next TMB Model Train Club open house at 120 Schmitt Blvd. in Farmingdale. For more information about the club or to apply for membership, visit www.tmbmodeltrain
club.com.
Have you seen a model train setup before? Let me know what you think at aeichler@antonmediagroup.com.
