SHEBOYGAN - The Sheboygan Society of Scale Model Railroad Engineers is celebrating the start of the year with a winter open house, train show and brat fry for both longtime and new train enthusiasts alike.
The family-friendly event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28 at the Sheboygan Railroad Museum, 1001 N. 10th St., Sheboygan.
A highlight of the event will be the new wig-wag signal that is working and on display. It’s an operating wig-wag signal, formerly used along the Milwaukee Road railroad in downtown Plymouth.
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Member Kyle Blindauer went through the tireless efforts of contacting the proper authorities, making the arrangements to secure the signal legally, arranging and transporting the signal to the museum in pieces, and then painstakingly rebuilding it and restoring it to operating condition.
It’s taken nearly a year for the membership to acquire and rebuild the addition.
All the trains will be running at the event. There are model railroads in six different scales from the small N scale to G scale. Each has a particular theme in mind and will show just how railroads serve in various areas of the country. There will be a layout that kids can run. There will also be a brat fry.
The members of the museum look forward to demonstrating the construction and operation process of the “World’s Greatest Hobby," model railroading.
Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
The special event marks the start of the 41st year of the Sheboygan Society of Scale Model Railroad Engineers, Ltd. Founded in 1977, the group owns the museum building and has pursued the preservation of railroad history, both prototype and models. To that end, it has amassed a large collection of railroad antiques, some dating back more than 100 years, according to a press release.
For more information, see the society's website at http://www.sssmre.org or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sssmre.
Questions can be directed to the museum at 920-783-6248.