Our Train Layout Room

Located in Harmon Senior Recreation Center, 4090 South 3600 West, Salt Lake City, Utah

-By Neva F.

A few years ago, our senior center in Salt Lake City, Utah created a train club room for their members aged 60 years and older. Local model train enthusiasts designed and began working on the room, but the sounds of train whistles were silenced last year when the man in charge of the project passed away.

My husband and I went to the center to find out about joining the train club and were told “you are now the club, enjoy.” We’ve accepted the challenge to continue the train room’s legacy of bringing enjoyment to the center’s members.

Like many children growing up in the 1940’s, Lee loved playing with his model trains and naturally I played with dolls. When our boys were old enough, they developed a love for trains and our daughters placed their Barbie dolls on the tracks to bug them. Now the grandchildren are sharing our love for the hobby and come with us to all the area train shows. Lee has promised to help build their model railroad sets like the N scale he built recently for himself.

The senior center HO scale DCC train room measures 11 feet wide by 15 1/2 feet long. There are two helixes with a diameter of 5 feet each with 5 ½ spirals that raise the two tracks to a 2 foot elevated level. There is a total of 273 feet of track in the layout.

Our primary concern has been fixing basic problems that didn’t allow the trains to run, such as huge gaps in the rails, finishing wiring not completed, repairing turnouts and adding manual ground throws. We look forward to posting future pictures as we work on building or completing scenes that depict a Park City ski hill, the Kennecott mine, and other vignettes of everyday life in Utah.

Model Railroad Tips would like to note that the senior center is open to those aged 60 or older. It is a registered 501(c), so donation may be tax deductible. Contact user “nevafels” through our forum for more information on membership, or donating to the layout.