Topeka model train clubs show off exhibits at Great Overland Station and West Ridge Mall

Topeka and trains have a long history together.

Rail lines that intersect the town today date back to 1859 when Cyrus K. Holliday, one of Topeka's founders, wrote the charter for the creation of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. He secured its passage while a territorial senator.

Today, there may not be a better place to experience the history of trains than inside the Great Overland Station, which opened in 1927 as a passenger depot for the Union Pacific lines that can still be seen.

Although you haven't been able to catch a ride from the station since 1971, other attractions can give you a simulated feeling of traveling through various landscapes via train cars.

Until Feb. 19, the Topeka Model Railroaders invites the public to see its exhibit featuring HO scale trains traversing through tunnels, over bridges and through intricate sets of Kansas and American lives. The exhibit is open noon till 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Clubs chugging along for more than 40 years

Since 1985, the Topeka Model Railroaders have cultivated a group of enthusiasts surrounding HO, or half-O, which designates 1:87 scale to full-size railroads.

Their display features two mainlines and one mountain line that operate off DC power with the ability to turn some of the lines to DCC, or digital command control, which allows multiple trains to operate on the same line and feature such effects as sound.

Cost to get into the Great Overland Station is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $2 for ages 3-12 and free for children 2 and younger. Military and veterans are $1.

Stan Spice, treasurer for the Railroaders and member since 2019, explains how each module of their layout was created by members.

"This is a diesel refueling station," Spice said as he pointed to one of the very first modules Friday. "We try to put some humor into some of these things."

The humorous parts can be seen throughout with buildings featuring such names as "Sal Manila's Egg Wholesaler."

Spice said the club is very accepting of other hobbyists as well.

"If you have trains at home and you want to come down here and run, bring them in," he said. "And we'll run them."

Topeka has a second distinct model railroad club: Topeka N Trak, which has been operating since 1970 and has about 25 current members. N-scale models are 1:160 scale compared to full size.

Topeka N Trak has set up a model train layout that's open to the public at West Ridge Mall, 1801 S.W. Wanamaker Road.

Club president Chris Anderson, was on hand Saturday making sure at least one train was running around the tracks.

"We're here to help promote the revitalization of the mall," he said.

The layout, which is located toward the northwest entrance, was set up in November and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekend unless otherwise posted.

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"Our biggest thing is probably our yard," Anderson added. "It's kind of dictated off the Union Pacific yard downtown."

Other features of the N-scale layout is an S-curve that is a replica of Pioneer Bluff in the Matfield Green area and part of the BNSF Transcon.

What happened to Topeka Railroad Days?

If you were around Topeka in the 1990s, there's a chance you remember Topeka Railroad Days.

The festival took over Forbes Field every Labor Day weekend beginning in 1986 and met its end at the start of the millennium in 2000. During that time, train enthusiasts and hobbyists would come together to wander around various train engines and vendor booths.

A resurgence of the festival occurred at the Great Overland Station from 2008 to 2015. The organization behind the event and former owners of the station, Railroad Heritage Inc., donated the space to Shawnee County Parks and Recreation in 2020 following a lease agreement.

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For the past two years, the Topeka Model Railroaders have organized a model train show in the fall where multiple layouts are set up. The club plans to be there again this year the first week of October.

Other opportunities to see model trains are at the Shawnee County 4-H Fair in July and the Lawrence Model Train Show on March 2.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka model train exhibits give hobbyists reason to get on board