This is information on the MCHS Model Railroad Museum in Anderson Indiana and it's many attractions. It is in the basement of the Madison County Historical Society, Inc., and is open any time Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9AM to 4PM. We are on exhibit after Thanksgiving until the first of the year.

We are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mchsmodelrailroadmuseum

Baker Valve Gear
There is a mock up of a ¼ scale model of the Baker Valve Gear ready to operate on a New York Central Railroad steam locomotive. This is a large wooden setup built by Maurice Lewman, a retired engineer.

HO Scale Layout
Our HO Layout started out as a 3’x 6’ yard layout. It was exhibited seven years ago. Two years ago we added a 4’x 8’ and this year another section was added to it. There are numerous buildings, houses, and a couple of factories. On the other side is a water tower, a coaling tower, a control tower, a station, several houses, a business and a farm. The layout is divided to separate the small 1950s town from the older town. We have now added a roundhouse and a diner.

On30 Scale
The On30 is a 4’ x 6’ O scale layout operating with an old time steam locomotive and rolling stock painted with an American Flag motif. This was built 5 years ago when the train was purchased with a power pack and track. A small layout sets it off. This is the 1900-1910 era. A push button must be held to make it run and it stops when you let off.

O Scale Traction
This is a 4’x 8’ setup. What is traction? It was what your grandmother and grandfather rode from about the turn of the last century to 1941. It was THE way to go. There were 5 trains each way through Anderson from Indianapolis to Muncie and vice-versa. There were trains running through Anderson to Marion and beyond. This was the method of passenger transport through much of Indiana.

O-27 Gauge
What we have is an on-going display. We are using old Lionel & Marx locomotives and cars. There are a number of buildings and scenery on the layout. It is amazing what was done in earlier days. The background scenery came from the late 50s.

N scale
The N scale layout is a long setup and includes backdrop paintings from Norm Reimondo’s old N scale layout. This is actually the biggest layout that we have. It has a large yard at one end and there is a siding for the passenger Station with a city on the other end.

S Gauge
These are American Flyer trains on a 4x12 layout with buildings and autos setup. It has a number of lighted buildings and a lake with a boat.

There are numerous photos on the walls representing railroads from the early 1900s right up to today. Many are from the steam era, but there are also numerous photos of diesels. The Big Four (New York Central) ran through Anderson both east and west and north and south. The Pennsylvania Railroad ran north and south and the Central Indiana Railway ran east and west. In Alexandria, there was the Nickel Plate running east and west, and the Central Indiana ran east to west. And there are displays and drawings depicting the glory age of Railroading.

So are there interpretive displays on the history of model railroading?

No, but each display is dated and represents an earlier era.

There are also a number of videos dating back in years that can be run on the TV and the photos are mostly dated in age.