PA: Model train display at the Palmerton Area Heritage Center

From TimesNews.com (Pennsylvania): Model train display at the Palmerton Area Heritage Center
Who doesn't enjoy the sight and sounds of model trains at the holidays?

Boys and girls, men and women – from five to 95 – can delight in the model trains showcased a collection at the Palmerton Area Heritage Center. They range in size from HO gauge to "Thomas the Tank Engine."

With the help of a number of Historical Society volunteers, and with loans from local collectors and railroad buffs, a unique display of locomotives, cars, photographs, and memorabilia will be on display at the Heritage Center through the end of February.

There are custom-made replicas of the New Jersey Zinc rail cars and engines, including the famous Mack railbus; dashing reproductions of the passenger trains of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, highlighted by the famous orange-trimmed "pumpkin" version; and models from the Pennsylvania and Reading lines.

Many will be able to reminisce over the Lionels they ran in their youth. Vintage Chestnut Ridge Railway scenes also complement the displays.

The exhibit is surrounded by a magnificent collection of old photographs that have been professionally mounted and donated to the society by the Lehigh Valley Heritage Center in Allentown. These capture a unique record of area railroad history, and include a stunning photograph of a long line of coal cars being pulled across the L&NE bridge at Lehigh Gap.

A similar display has been mounted by LVHC in Allentown. Information on their dates and times are available at the Palmerton Heritage Center.

There is no charge for admission to the Palmerton Area Heritage Center, located at 410 Delaware Avenue next to Bert's Steakhouse. It is open to the public on Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Special hours for groups and for those traveling from a distance can be arranged by calling (610) 824-6954.