Overview of the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum

This overview video of the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum starts with a great view of the layout. It’s modeled after the early 1950’s, where steam, steel and stamina power the economy. The people around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, Maryland are hard at work building back American post-war prosperity. The country will soon revel in the radiance of the Eisenhower years. It’s a good time to be alive in America.

The Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum works to capture that time and place in its large historical HO diorama style layout. The museum has been around since 1948, but now the members have their own permanent home to showcase this massive educational project. Two railroads are featured in the 10 square miles between Pittsburgh and Cumberland. The Baltimore and Ohio and the Mon Valley parallel each other through most of the layout.

Allen Keller is with Ray Mueser, President of the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum. The guiding principle behind the museum is to show viewers trains running through historic areas back when the trains were the best way to travel. The Mon Valley fills the second floor of the museum’s own building. The 40 by 100 foot island style HO railroad has all of its main line completed. The group plans to finish the entire layout by 2005. The minimum radius is 38 inches on L girder benchwork. This display type diorama runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. We start the tour in downtown Pittsburgh. For more tips on planning your layouts, visit our Model Railroad Academy archives.