Maine's Capital Area

Model Railroad Celebration and Free Admission Highlight Museum Activities on December 1 and 2

Whether making a first-time discovery of model trains chugging along the tracks or revisiting memories of days gone by, family members of all ages will delight in the sights and sounds of the annual Model Railroad Celebration at the Maine State Museum in Augusta. The two-day event will be held on Friday, December 1 from 9 am to 4pm and Saturday, December 2 from 10 am to 3 pm. The museum is open free of charge both days.

The celebration features the Maine 3-Railers Club. The Maine 3-Railers is an O-gauge model railroad club with over 60 members from around the state. The club’s winter scene layout this year includes a special model sawmill in operation.

The link between model trains and the holidays has an historic connection. The first regularly scheduled passenger train in the United States began in 1830 on Christmas Day. Toy trains appeared soon after, as railroads came into regular use. Long before electricity was a mainstay in homes, children and adults constructed model motorized trains that ran on steam power.

Trains figure prominently in the museum's collections. Most notably, the 1846 Lion, one of America's earliest surviving steam locomotives, continues to be a popular attraction as it greets visitors at the museum's entrance.