GIBSONIA, Allegheny County — Even 87 years after it was founded, the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum and its members are still finding ways to make its annual display a more authentic experience for everyone.

While some of it comes from skilled craftsmanship or from layered networks connecting the locomotives to a rail system, the museum has continued to evolve in the way it recreates the landscapes of Western Pennsylvania and some of the trains that occupy it.

David Chess, one of the museum’s members, said his specialty has always been on the other side of the curtain. Instead of building models or helping set scenes, his focus is on the electronics that make them tick.

He got involved with the museum after another member and friend, Mark Sparrow, reached out and asked for r

See Full Page