Since 1992
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AUBURN — The Great Falls Model Railroad Club will hold its annual Christmas “ExTRAINaganza,” a unique four-day family fun event with special activities for children, at 144 Mill St. on the weekends before and after Thanksgiving. The handicapped-accessible club house, across from the Barker Mill, will be decorated for Christmas with trains of various sizes operating on five permanent layouts throughout the two-story building for everyone’s enjoyment. The ExTRAINaganza will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23, 24, and Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29, 30.
From the moment they walk through the door and see long trains running on the multiple tracks and through the tunnels of the large G-gauge layout, children are fascinated by the sights and sounds. The interactive ski slope is a special feature of the attractive winter scene. As they enter the main room, guests will see brightly decorated Christmas trees with trains beneath them. Around the corner, young children can enjoy Thomas the Tank Engine on a separate layout in the G-gauge room, with other engines from the Thomas series running on the upper trestle. Adults and children will discover that the G-gauge layout, with its unique scenes, has many features hidden from their first vantage point. In the next room, interesting details have been added to the club’s permanent layout for the smaller n-scale. Trains will also be operating on the new Lionel layout, which is still under construction in the hallway.
The club’s extensive HO layout downstairs is an engineering marvel. Members continue to develop a variety of new scenery details and have recently upgraded the track, creating a second line. Long-time residents of the area will recognize many of the 1950’s scenes reproduced in the Lewiston Lower section of the layout, including Bates Mill 5. Older children can sign up to be “Guest Engineers” and operate one of the HO trains.
Train-related items, which can be purchased at the club’s store, include locomotives and rolling stock in a variety of scales, railroad hats, whistles, T-shirts, locomotive earrings, books, and other train-themed items. TRAIN TIME videos, produced by the Great Falls Model Railroad Club and seen on many local cable channels, will be shown continuously each day and are available for sale.
Children will be able to enjoy decorating and eating gingerbread boys and girls, creating Christmas ornaments to take home, and playing the special railroad games designed by the club. The younger children always have fun with the Brio set and age-appropriate trains in the children’s play area. While watching these activities, parents can enjoy light refreshments from conveniently located tables and chairs in the craft area.
Tickets for decorating cookies, making ornaments, and playing games with prizes may be purchased; admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under. For more details and photos of the ExTRAINaganza in previous years, see www.greatfallsmodelrrclub.org.
PHOTO: Dick Clark of Greene checks the operation of Thomas the Tank Engine in preparation for the ExTRAINaganza to be held at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club, 144 Mill St., Auburn, Nov. 23, 24, 29 and 30. (Submitted photo)
