All aboard for model train shows

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Model trains pull into the Monroeville Convention Center this weekend for a show called the “World’s GreatestHobby on Tour.”

The traveling exhibition, sponsored by the the Hobby Manufacturers Association, aims to introduce people to this family pastime with a mix of train layouts and vendor booths for those who might want to get in on the fun of building and running trains.

The show includes everything from trains kids can run and ride to workshops and seminars. One exhibit will tell, with artifacts and a multimedia presentation, how model railroading was Walt Disney’s inspiration for Disneyland.

Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Children’s admission is free as long as they are accompanied by paying adults. Admission is $15 at the door or online at wghshow.com: $14.95 (Saturday), $12.95 (Sunday) or $16.95 (both days). Discounts are available using coupon code N22.

If miniature trains are your thing, you have one more week to check out the huge holiday show at the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum in at Route 910 and Hardt Road in Richland. Its 30th annual show runs this weekend and next from 6-9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $4 for children under 12 and $8 for adults. The museum won’t be regularly open to the public again until the holiday show starts up in November. Information: wpmrm.org.