Little Rhody club says model railroading 'alive and well' – and local displays are helping
MIDDLETOWN – The displays may spark an interest. They may rekindle a long-dormant interest. They will bring some visitors back in time.
Serving Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts, the 70-member Little Rhody Division of the National Model Railroad Association annually does two community outreach displays in public libraries in this region. The first is scheduled for Middletown Public Library on Saturday, April 27, with the second set for June 1 at the Somerset Public Library.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Saturday, a side room at the Middletown Library will feature three model train displays, in three size scales, set up by Little Rhody.
The layouts are:
T-trak Rhode Island-Old Colony Railroad, N-scale (1:160)
Polar Express, O-scale (1:48).
Harry Potter, G-scale (1:24).
Serving Rhode Island and Bristol County, Mass., the 70-member Little Rhody annually does two community outreach displays in public libraries in this region. The second for 2024 is set for June 1 at the Somerset (Mass.) Public Library.
Inevitably at such public displays, Osberg, 80, has one or more suddenly excited people tell her they have Dad's or Grandpa's old model train equipment tucked away in the attic or basement or garage and they have no idea if they still work or not. “I tell them, 'Break them out. Set them up. And see if they run,'” she says.
If they don't run, she says, it may be a simple fix. Perhaps a loose wire. Osberg will hand out her business card and tell the person she can connect her or him with someone who can come out and give the old set a proper examination.
People are also invited to attend, in person or via Zoom, Little Rhody's monthly meetings in East Greenwich where she's confident any legit model train question can get answered. “We're a fount of information,” she says..
At the upcoming Middletown Public Library display, Osberg expects to see the proverbial children of all ages, male and female, excitedly taking in the displays. For some, especially youngsters, it may be a first exposure to model railroading. Older visitors may find it fascinating to see how modern technology allow an operator to operate multiple trains from one control box.
The modular Rhode Island-Old Colony layout is a tribute to the Ocean State of the 1950s and 1960s and includes classic Rhody landmarks like Allie's Donuts (North Kingstown), What Cheer Laundry (Olneyville), and Majestic Theater (Providence). At a recent display, this setup alone sat on eight 6-foot-long tables.
The non-modular Polar Express display will allow children, under Little Rhody supervision, to actually run the trains.
The modular Harry Potter Display, with the largest cars, is the creation of Little Rhody Division Assistant Superintendent David Kiley, of Swansea, and his granddaughter and grandson. Osberg said the display is adorable to look at. She expects all three displays to impress.
“I think model trains fascinate people because trains fascinate people,” Osberg says. “What cargo is it carrying, who is it carrying, where is it going, how long it is, the number of locomotives, and that the models look to be just smaller versions. Little children are totally rapt when watching model trains, especially if there’s a tunnel on the layout.”
A retired North Kingstown teacher, Osberg, of Coventry, says said she had the best of both worlds as an only child. She remembers getting, at Christmas, a beloved doll in a who walked, whose hair she could curl, and who wore a pretty blue dress; and also getting a model train display circling the Christmas tree. Her father made an unused bedroom in their old Cape a playroom for the display, for about three years, until just before her teen years when her mother's declining health necessitated moving Mom to the first-floor bedroom.
The model trains went to the child of a neighbor.
Six decades later, thanks to her husband Brian, Susan's interest was rekindled. Recovering (and bored) at home in after surgery, Brian said it might be fun to return to his childhood and buy model trains and a display. Susan's eyes lit up. Their small display grew. And grew. Before long, it had to be moved out of the house to a separate structure on their property.
They found Little Rhody. Brian served as superintendent. Susan ascended to that position in 2016.
Little Rhody Division is part of the NMRA's Northeast Division. Both the “Northeast” and “National” labels are actually misnomers, Orsberg said. The Northeast Region includes southeast Canada. And the NMRA is actually an international organization, with members from Australia, Europe, Canada. Its president, she said, hails from the Orkney Islands, off Scotland.
Osberg said model railroading is “alive and well”, but membership a tad long in the tooth. She said it needs an influx of younger enthusiasts
She says model railroading is addictive, and can be expensive if buying new equipment and displays. But, she adds, there is ample opportunity to buy notably-less-expensive used equipment, and Little Rhody can help with that.
For information about joining the Little Rhody Division, email membership chairperson Linda Bergemann at membership@littlerhodydiv.org.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Little Rhody Division model railroad club hopes display draws members
