Trainfest has chugged along for decades in Milwaukee, starting as a small regional event before growing into “America’s largest operating model railroad show.” It’s now run by the National Model Railroad Association – itself founded in Milwaukee in 1935 – and is setting its sights on more train displays. Ranging from small to massive and realistic to Lego-built, the carefully crafted scenes are mainly put together by local clubs.
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The displays make up about 60,000 square feet of the show’s 188,000 total and include technical feats like running waterfalls and tiny narratives hidden in the environment. “It’s something about those little details and of course the train movement itself that grabs people,” says volunteer Jen Miller. Trainfest arrives at the Baird Center Nov. 7-8.
