Detailed model trains on display at Arbutus Park Retirement Community

Kelly Urban, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·1 min read

Dec. 29—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — All aboard the festive trains at Arbutus Park Retirement Community.

The Christmas Town Railroad is on display at Arbutus Park Retirement Community, 207 Ottawa St., Richland Township.

The trains will be in operation from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday and Sunday in the facility's community room.

Model train enthusiasts Ron and Pat Reinbold, of Salix, along with Arbutus Park residents and board members, shared their love of trains by building the railroad, which features large-scale "G" garden trains on a 14- by 24-foot platform.

The detailed display features multiple trains operating simultaneously and more than 150 miniature people and vehicles.

There is an "I Spy" scavenger hunt in the display, plus a "Touch Table" where children have the opportunity for hands-on time with materials from the train display. Ron Reinbold said the touch table allows children to handle some of the items used to put together the display without touching the actual layout.

"There is ballast, snow, shrubs and trees," he said. "It is very tactile."

Ron Reinbold said the number of people who come to see the trains ranges from 25 to more than 100.

"We enjoy doing this, and we get a lot of people, many from the public," he said. "We get more visitors the closer we get to Christmas. It really picks up between Christmas and New Year's when there's no school."

Admission is free, and the train display is open to the public. Visitors should enter at the main entrance to be triaged, and masks are required. For more information, call 814-266-8621 or visit www.arbutusparkmanor.com.