Model Railroad Club still chugging along with tradition at Parkersburg Homecoming
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PARKERSBURG -- Just as Parkersburg enjoys a rich history with railroading, so too does the Mid-Ohio Valley Model Railroad Club maintain a history with the Parkersburg Homecoming Festival.
For the past 25 years, the model railroad club has been a staple of Parkersburg's annual homecoming celebration, welcoming thousands of guests to its open houses.
The club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with 62 members from across the area and beyond, will host the silver anniversary of its annual Parkersburg Homecoming Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at its facility in the rear basement of NOE Office Equipment at 610 Green St., Parkersburg, a short walk from many of the Homecoming events.
A total of six model train layouts, many showcasing historical Parkersburg locations, will be operating in HO, O, N and G scales and Standard Gauge.
Admission and parking are free, and donations will be accepted to help offset the cost of running the electric models.
The theme of this year's event is "Trains That Built America," and classic and modern model trains, featuring the logging, steel, coal, oil, chemicals and other industries, will be featured in realistic settings.
At the open house, guests will be given the opportunity to discuss the hobby with and learn from the many club members present, as well as obtain ideas for layout construction, tips, guidance and suggestions. MOVMRC will conduct a prize drawing for a Lionel O gauge train set and the club's new "selfie station" will be available.
Only nine of the club's current roster of members were in MOVMRC the first time it participated in Parkersburg Homecoming.
The club was founded in 1981 and experienced a nomadic existence prior to moving to the rear basement of NOE Office Equipment. Many of MOVMRC's "old guard" members have either passed away or are in situations where health issues prevent them from participating in the club. However, a large number of younger hobbyists, with new ideas and an eye for modern technology, have stepped in to fill key roles, such as officers, board of directors members and project leaders. The number of members in the club has remained steady, while the membership has become younger in terms of age.
The family-oriented Parkersburg Homecoming Open House is one of several special events put on by the MOVMRC each year. The next will be the club's annual Fall Train Show on Oct. 26 at West Virginia University at Parkersburg, followed by MOVMRC's annual Christmas Open House on Dec. 7 at NOE and a mid-December open house at NOE in conjunction with Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad's annual Santa Train.