MORGANTOWN — Rich Henderson knows his trains.
In 1959, when he was 18 months old, his father bought him a train set for Christmas. He’s loved trains ever since.
What has been a lifetime of collecting, and the work of many members over the years, the space at 128 Pleasant St. is 2,500 square feet of trains and train memorabilia.
In 1987, the Mon Valley Railroad Historical Society started with a handful of guys who had a common interest in trains. In 1988, the group became an official organization. In 2011, the group became a nonprofit educational organization.
In 1992, the society moved into its current space, which has become different layouts and scenery of trains and towns reflecting that of West Virginia post-World War II. The main layout has been a work in progress since construction of the display started at the Pleasant Street location. Work continues 25 years later.
“The main layout is about 40 feet long and 30 feet wide and has over 700 feet of track,” Henderson said.
The group is working on a new coal mine and recently finished a new farm scene. The scene depicts Henderson’s grandparent’s farm as it was in the 1950s.
Another scene in the model is a fictional town, Wilson’s Mill. The town is modeled after Davis and Thomas. In the fictional town, Henderson worked his grandmother into the narrative, where she owns a restaurant, paying tribute to her work in life. Wilson’s Mill also has a depot modeled after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad depot in Morgantown.
The miniature towns and displays are a feast for the eyes, with particular attention to details and depiction of what the scene may have been in a small town in West Virginia. Henderson, a retired art teacher, has made many of the model buildings himself.
“A lot of the buildings are completely scratch-built out of wood and plastic, paper and other materials and put together to meet what we need,” he said.
Among other displays are a coal mining town, a paper and pulp mill, and a gob pile that is still a work in progress.
“It takes time because you’re working maybe one or two days a week or two, three, maybe four hours, max. When we first started it, we were working about three days a week and some members were down here for five or six hours a day,” he said.
Henderson said the group is constantly working on things. The society meets Thursdays, working on the coal mine area of the model, and Henderson is working on putting some more landscape into the mix. The group makes its own trees and uses foam and plaster to build up the scenery.
“It’s a culmination of art, and carpentry and electrical work, and just a lot of different people’s talents all coming together,” he said.
Their work is never finished, the models are always changing and moving around, so it takes money to keep it going. The society raises some funds selling custom-made cars, selling donated items and having auctions. It also accepts donations and has a fee for members.
The society holds open houses, allowing the public to see its work.
This month, the society will move its traveling model to the WVU Mountainlair for Mountaineer Week.
“It’ll be there for people to come in and see and ask questions and get answers, and maybe pick up a member or two,” he said.
The society is always looking for new members.
“Trains are still here, and they’re gonna be here because they’re necessary for our economy,” he said.
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