Published: May 15, 2008 12:59 pm            

Miniature Mainline to be dedicated Saturday at Portage Station Museum

By TOM LAVIS

TLAVIS@TRIBDEM.COM

Constructing a railroad from South Fork to Altoona is no easy task, even if it is a diminutive version.

Miniature Mainline will be officially dedicated from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday on the second floor of the Portage Station Museum, 400 Lee St. in the borough.

Charles Edwards, a member of the board of Portage Area Historical Society, and others worked on hundreds of trees covering the mountains and spruced up the ground areas.

“The people who have seen the display are impressed,” Edwards said.

“We actually have allowed the public to see the work being done, which has been a work in progress.”

Edwards is largely responsible for the intricately detailed, hand-crafted display which fills most of the second floor of what was once a train station.

It’s an HO scale train that now is a permanent display depicting life along the railroad during its heyday from 1930 to 1950.

He has donated a half-dozen of the 11 trains in the display.

“We wanted to depict the eras of steam and diesel locomotives,” he said.

“It has been a time-consuming effort to create the Allegheny Mountain Ridge and we have trains running on each side.”

Now that the model railroad is being dedicated, Edwards expects the public to get a true understanding of the importance of trains not only to the region but also the country.

The display, built with the spectator in mind, includes a 15-inch-high platform on one side for those who want a better view of the action. The trains run on 225 feet of track.

Artist Frank Serbian added the detailed background scenery and Al Moore created replicas of actual structures, including train stations, shops and other historic buildings.

Money to build the base for the display and to purchase basic supplies came from the sale of sports memorabilia contributed by the late Robert “Bing” James of Portage.

Following the grand opening, the trains will run from noon to 5 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month.



Railroad exhibit

Who: Portage Area Historical Society.

What: Miniature Mainline dedication.

When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Portage Station Museum, 400 Lee St.

Admission: Free.

        

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