Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers

If you haven't seen the layout in a year or more, there's a lot of new details to see and hear. We've added details, and structure lighting to much of the area nearest the front of the layout, as well as new signaling. And now, Union Station comes alive with the sounds of a busy passenger station in the 1950's.

Here's some photos to show off the lighting.

It's the night before Model Train Festival at the Washington State History Museum.

Come visit us and the other layouts from Friday December 22nd to Jan 1st. Excluding December 24th and 25th. Regular museum hours (10 - 5).

With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore:

'Twas the night before Model Train Festival, when all through the museum
Not a creature was stirring, not even a no-see-um;
The layouts were setup with care,
In hopes that Model Railroaders soon would be there;
The trains were nestled all snug in their sheds;
While visions of Hoggers danced in their heads;
And the Fireman in his chair, and I in our cab,
Had just parked our train, when he gave me a jab,
When out in the yard there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my seat to see what was the matter.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a 3 truck Shay and signal for all clear,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of gifts he had flung on the track,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the cubbies; then turned with a jerk,
Laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the ladder he rose;
He sprang to his Shay, gave us a whistle,
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Model Train Festival to all, and to all a good night!”

On Saturday 9/2/23 (Labor Day Weekend) the PSMRE will be holding our monthly Operating Session.

New for visitors and operators is this latest signal in our project to fully signal the layout. We are about halfway through that project and signaling is becoming a useful tool for these sessions.

So, if you are in the area, come up to the 5th floor of the Washington State History museum. We will be operating the layout between 11 am and 3 pm.

To help illustrate the high level of model building expertise that created the layout, this photo shows a modern train running across the model bridge and scene, with the trailing portion of the 1950's model train in the modern scene, on the actual bridge.

This is a composite image. One image of the bridge was made with a drone in 2018 with a BNSF empty grain train on the High Bridge, east of Kanaskat on the Stampede Sub. The second image was made at the layout with a 1950's era train on the model bridge.

Join us on May 6th for our monthly Operations Session. We usually get started about 11 and run until 3 or 3:30.

Watch while we run trains in the 1950's Tacoma area. From the North Coast Limited and Mainstreeter to local switch jobs.