Elaborate tracks, vintage locomotives and quaint villages — train displays can evoke feelings of wonder in young and old alike. When it comes to holiday train displays, interest crosses generational divides, according to Al Strausner, co-organizer of an annual event in Willow Street.
“People come in, young and old. The kids love to look and see a train coming through a tunnel. … They love it,” Strausner says. “Older people, it takes them back to their childhood.”
“Many older people, including myself, lived through a time period when a train set was a gift of reverence for a young boy. If they got that, they were the happiest kid in the world,” says Craig Coble, a member of the Elizabethtown Train Guys, who also host an annual holiday show. “If you see them again near Christmastime, it often prompts memories of Christmas displays in the past that each family would do, either around a tree or on a platform in the home.”
Coble continues, “For younger people, it’s the idea of a 3D, visual experience that’s not on some kind of a flat-screen, hand-held device. … They come at it with less of a nostalgic view, but more of an amazement that these things even exist.”
All aboard! For those looking to experience the nostalgic joy of a train set this holiday season, there are a number of displays open to the public in or near Lancaster County.
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BRICKER VILLAGE
When: The display is open during Second Story Style’s shop hours through the holiday season. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Saturday.
Where: Second Story Style, Bricker Village, 2 E. 28th Division Highway, Lititz.
Cost: Free.
Details: Organized by Brian’s Model Trains, located in Myerstown, this tabletop train display is open to all shop visitors.
Info: instagram.com/shopsecondstorystyle.
ED KING MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS TRAIN SHOW
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 27-Jan. 4.
Where: Columbia Historic Preservation Society, 19-21 N. Second St., Columbia.
Cost: $5 per person.
Details: All proceeds from this year’s display will benefit the Columbia Historic Preservation Society. Both of the CHPS’s displays have updates for 2025; the first floor has seen a large expansion, while the second floor display will include a new mountain and ski lift.
Info: facebook.com/columbiahistory.chps.
11th Annual Edward King Memorial Model Train Open House at the Columbia Historic Preservation Society in Columbia on Saturday Dec. 7, 2024.
ELIZABETHTOWN TRAIN GUYS
When: 6-8 p.m. Thursdays, Dec. 4-18; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6-27; The display will also be open from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 12 in conjunction with Elizabethtown’s Second Friday festivities. During the first three Saturdays, a free shuttle will operate between this display and the Masonic Village train display.
Where: Elizabethtown Public Library, 10 S. Market St., Elizabethtown.
Cost: $2 per person.
Details: Proceeds to benefit the Elizabethtown Public Library. Event organizers suggest arriving no later than 30 minutes before closing to ensure sufficient time to view the entire display. Visitors will have the opportunity to use more than 50 push buttons to activate trains and accessories, making the display “highly interactive,” Coble says.
Info: etownpubliclibrary.org.
Conductor Craig Coble works the controls on the one of many Christmas toy train displays by The Train Guys at the Elizabethtown Public Library in Elizabethtown Friday Dec. 9, 2022.
GARDEN SPOT VILLAGE CHRISTMAS TRAIN ROOM
When: 1:30-4 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 29-Dec. 27.
Where: Garden Spot Village Train Room at 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland.
Cost: Free; donations accepted.
Details: Children of all ages will enjoy a special Thomasville and “Talk with Thomas” station, alongside an elevated O-gauge track and seasonal displays.
Info: gardenspotvillage.org/events.
READ: Lancaster city’s 2025 Christmas tree started as a 4-inch Earth Day seedling grown in Millersville
HERSHEY HISTORY CENTER
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 28-Dec. 29 (except Dec. 24 and 31).
Where: Hershey History Center, 40 Northeast Drive in Hershey.
Cost: Access to the Holiday Train Show is included with museum admission. $10 per family, $5 for adult, $2 for children ages 4-17, children 3 and younger enter for free.
Details: Note that last train admission is at 3:45 p.m. daily and the holiday train display closes promptly at 4 p.m.
Info: hersheyhistory.org.
KEYSTONE CHAPTER EUROPEAN TRAIN ENTHUSIASTS
When: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7.
Where: 211 Terrace Ave., Ephrata.
Cost: Free; donations accepted.
Details: The display features a European-themed layout and village. “We tell everyone it’s like a cheap trip to Europe,” says Chris Braun, chapter president.
Info: European Train Enthusiasts Keystone Chapter on Facebook at lanc.news/etekeystone.
MASONIC VILLAGE
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 6-20, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.
Where: Masonic Village, 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown.
Cost: Free; donations accepted.
Details: A free shuttle will operate between this display and the Elizabethtown Public Library display during the first three Saturdays in December; Coble suggests parking at the Masonic Village and utilizing the shuttle for easier parking.
Info: mvemodelrailroadclub.com.
SHORT LINE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE
When: 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 29-Jan. 11.
Where: 11 S. State St., Ephrata. Access the basement event space via the back door.
Cost: Free; donations accepted.
Details: For the event’s 36th anniversary, the club’s 30-by-60-foot display will feature a recently expanded logging line.
Info: slmrc.com.
WILLOW STREET
When: 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in December.
Where: West Willow United Methodist Church, 118 W. Willow Road, Willow Street; Justin Trout’s home, 1729 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street; New Danville Mennonite Church, 103 Marticville Road, Lancaster.
Cost: Donation of nonperishable food items or cash for Conestoga Community Food Bank and Solanco Neighborhood Ministries Food Bank.
Details: Willow Street resident Al Strausner will take part in organizing his final train display this year. Strausner has worked on this display annually with his grandson, Matthew Palmeri, since Palmeri — now a senior at Penn Manor High School — was in middle school. This year, visitors have the chance to explore three displays, set up in three separate locations, to get them in the holiday spirit. “It’s a community kind of effort,” Strausner says.
Al Strausner and grandson Matthew Palmeri collaborate on an annual train display inside West Willow United Methodist Church in Willow Street.
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