Brandywine River Museum!
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| Photos by Dave Jensen | ||
With a collection of trains including 150 locomotives and 300 freight cars, running on nearly 2,000 feet of track, the model train display at the Brandywine River Museum is a popular holiday exhibition, delighting visitors of all ages. Toy trains in the collection are mostly Lionel products dating from 1915 to the present, often supplemented with trains loaned by visiting engineers. A "must see" for the youngest train fans is Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends from the Isle of Sodor, UK.
For over three decades, Steven Clarke has engineered the train display for A Brandywine Christmas including the design, installation and maintenance. Clarke is on hand throughout the holiday season to repair broken trains, keep the rails clean and running smoothly, and answer questions. David Jensen and his wife Peggy have worked with Steven for nearly as long to create additions and improvements to the impressive display. A dedicated crew of volunteers helps assemble the train layout and serve as guides during the Christmas holidays.
Some quick facts about the Brandywine River Museum Railroad (BRMRR):
- Trains are O-gauge (the distance between the rails is 1¼")
- Layout size and shape - 40' x 60' in the shape of an "E"
- Layout surface - approximately 1,220 sq. feet
- Track length - approximately 2,000 feet
- Number of trains running at one time - 5
- Train length - the longest train is more than 70' long, pulled by two locomotives. Occasionally, 100 car trains are run.
- Time period represented in display - late 1940s, early 1950s
- Video cam added in 2004
- Drive-in movie theater added in 2006
The Brandywine River Museum's train display is part of
A Brandywine Christmas
November 28, 2008 through January 11, 2009