The Elmhurst Model Railroad Club is a hobby club featuring three elaborate model train layouts in HO, HOn3, and N scales. The largest layout is a 90-by-20-foot HO track depicting nostalgic Midwest transition-era scenes with rolling hillsides, working farms, industrial complexes, and fun pop culture Easter eggs. The basement location sits steps from the active Union Pacific West mainline, so visitors can watch real trains rumble past too. Visits are free (donations appreciated) and they’re open to the public on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
Origin Story
The Elmhurst Model Railroad Club was founded in 1969 by a group of model train enthusiasts who wanted a permanent space to build and operate layouts together.
After moving between several temporary homes for 17 years, they landed in their current basement location in downtown Elmhurst in 1986. The spot turned out to be perfect, not just for the space but for its proximity to the busy Union Pacific West mainline running through downtown.
Over the decades, the club has built and refined three separate layouts packed with extraordinary detail and affectionate humor, with pop culture references scattered throughout that reflect a club that takes its trains seriously but doesn’t take itself too seriously.