Milepost 637
This just came to me recently concerning the Trainfest in Willard, Ohio. I have to apologize for the limited information that I do have but wanted to share it with you nonetheless. The trainfest is on the 13th & 14th of October and is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce there in Willard. I'm not even sure of the hours but I'd guess something like from 10-4 or 5 each day. While I don't know this for sure, I'm guessing that they will have all of the usual "fest" activities including displays, food and such.
No doubt one of the highlights of the weekend will be the large Freemo modular railroad layout that will be set up at the Willard Middle School. See the map above for location. The layout is expected to occupy about 2,500 spuare feet and feature true point-to-point operations. Railroads from the area will be featured on the layout; it should be quite a show.
Modular railroading has become very popular in recent years. Many people simply don't have the space to build a nice sized pike, so they instead build standard sized modules to very strict length, height & width specifications. The modules are designed to these specific standards so that they can be combined end-to-end to make a much larger layout than any one person can handle. Usually, the local group has some corner pieces and they include those in the mix to build quite a layout.
Because everyone is on their own in terms of design so long as they stay within the specs, the layouts are quite interesting. One module may be an industrial complex that butts right up next to a city module. Next you might see a dock scene followed by a mountainous one. And, so long as the modules stay within spec, you are free to build in multiples of the original length. So if the original is... say four feet, you can build an eight-foot one or even a twelve-footer so long as you match specs at the end.
We saw several really nice modular layouts at the National Train Show back in August. While this one probably won't be as big as those, it should still be quite the sight. Unfortunately, we have a family wedding and I won't be able to attend.
dlm
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