Preparing for the annual Model Railroad show in Beaufort SC

Every year in the Fall, the local model railroad hobbyists begin to think about the upcoming model railroad display at the Beaufort, SC, library. An annual tradition spanning more than 30 years. Men and women, working and retired, begin to make slight shifts in their schedules to allow time for preparing their models for public display. Smartphones and computers are set down, traded for hammers, drills, sandpaper, solder, wires, rails, and models; trips are made to local hardware and hobby supply stores for wood, screws, fabric, and modeling supplies.

Plans are made for how many model displays will fit where in the space allotted to the model railroaders by the Beaufort Library; what scale models will be displayed, and what construction will be used, allowing ease of movement and quality of display. While preparing for the 2025 display, modelers Ed and John devised a system of 3×5 modules that would allow any modeler to construct their own display and allow ease of movement. This system, which required hours of pre-show assembly, was a great success for multiple displays. Modeler Jarrod used a simple sheet of plywood.

Once the general understanding of how the models will be laid out and the substructure for their supports will be constructed has been established, modelers begin to pull their trains out of the closet, attic, shed and assess their readiness for display. The track used by the model trains is tested, cleaned, and laid out. Modeler Jarrod wraps a sheet of plywood in fabric, allowing for a clean, somewhat snow-like display. A loop of lighted Lionel fast track is installed and made ready for the operation of O gauge trains.

As the weeks progress towards the show dates in December, amidst the busy Holiday season, the modelers from near and far begin the logistics of getting their models from their local areas to the Beaufort Library. They group and ensure no single modeler is left behind. Displays ranging from a full room to a small display requiring only a few square feet are loaded into the spaces generously provided by the Beaufort Library. Then the assembly begins, and the displays begin to take shape.

Come back for the next post, as the show begins!