Cub Scouts and Model Railroading

Tonight we entertained the regular meeting of a local Cub Scouts Troop with members in the first through fifth grades.
After a brief business and awards agenda, David Dykstra, a member of the local MetroNorth Railroad organization, introduced the president of The Northern Westchester Model Railroad Club, Joseph Pelzner. Mr Pelzner gave a brief history of railroads and then touched on model railroading and the many scales, track gauges and electronic powering systems.
After the talk, the Scouts had a chance to have hands-on on several layouts provided by the club. Included were the clubs N Scale layout built on a Terrain-4-Trains High Sierra module, a simple back-N-forth trolley setup and ovals of Lionel and MTH O gauge trains. Dave Dysktra also brought a very small Z scale Japanese passenger train.
One surprize was the youngsters obvious ability to rerail the small N Scale engines. I had always assumed that the concentration and dexterity required to get the small wheels back on the track would make it difficult for young people, but they managed to rerail the tiny cars as quickly as any adults.
Be sure to look us up if you know of a local club that would like a demonstration of model railroading. We are always looking for a reason to "Play with trains".
BTW - The next club meeting will be held on January 21 in the community room of the Rosehill Shopping Center in Thornwood. The meeting starts by 8:00PM.
There will also be a Train and Toy show at the Westchester County Center in White Plains the last Sunday of this month, January 31st.