As the brisk autumn days turn colder and darker, That includes a thriving community of railfans, many of whom enjoy intricately designed model train layouts. With the holiday season approaching, we’re on the fast track to the best holiday-and winter-themed model train displays in the Rochester area.
❶ ARCADE & ATTICA RAILROAD
Our first stop is A&A Railroad. Located at 278 Main Street in the town of Arcade, this historic station features exhibits from antique railroad lanterns to switch locks and stands. Visitors can board the last operating steam train excursion in New York State. During the holiday season, this train is headed straight to the “North Pole” carrying pajama-clad families enjoying hot cocoa. Santa’s Wonderland Express is a family-friendly holiday journey that includes a visit with Santa, the elves, and reindeer. For more information, visit aarailroad.com.
❷ THE GARDEN FACTORY
No tickets are necessary for the annual holiday model train display at the Garden Factory at 2126 Buffalo Road in Gates. It has become a tradition for many local families as well as out-of-towners, opening the day after Thanksgiving and running daily until December 24. This impressive display is more than sixty feet long and twenty feet wide and takes more than one hundred hours to move and assemble for viewing. Train enthusiasts will want to spend hours taking in all the details and more than one hundred train cars. Over the years, the original railroad has undergone many repairs and modifications. New scenes include wind turbines, a gold mine, and an updated drive-in. For more information, visit gardenfactoryny.com.
❸ AMAN’S FARM AND MARKET
It’s full steam ahead to the model train layout on display at Aman’s Farm and Market at 2458 East Ridge Road in Irondequoit. Originally a tiny roadside stand, this farm market dates back to 1840. Maureen and Joe Stuhler spend weeks setting up their incredible Christmas village, complete with more than 170 buildings, animated figures, tiny vehicles, a carousel, and working model trains. This tradition began to honor the Stuhlers’ late sons Devin and Joel and is open from Thanksgiving until the New Year. Visitors can purchase a miniature holiday angel with all proceeds benefiting the Irondequoit Food Cupboard. For more information, visit amansfarmandmarket.com.
❹ ROCHESTER MODEL RAILROAD CLUB
Choo! Choo! November is model railroad month, and the Rochester Model Railroad Club is celebrating with its annual open house on November 14 and 15. Come and marvel at the 2,400-square-foot layout at 150 South Clinton Avenue featuring 350 feet of double track mainline depicting scenes of the Lehigh Valley Railroad of the 1950s and a trolley line with cars running under overhead wire. Visitors can shop the model railroad equipment sale and watch as many as ten trains running simultaneously, including trains from the popular children’s television series Thomas the Tank Engine. For more information, visit rocmrrc.com. The Rochester Model Railroad Club also supports other area clubs and events including the holiday display at RIT.
❺ TIGER TRACKS AT RIT
One of the most well-known holiday train shows is gearing up for its twentieth year. Tiger Tracks is a two-day show that takes place every December at the Gordon Field House, located on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus. Thousands of guests attend the show which features vendors, concessions, and door prizes as well as seminars about model railroading presented by members of the community. Put together by the RIT model railroad club, this event is fun for the whole family. Learn more at rittrainshow.com.
➏ EDGERTON MODEL RAILROAD CLUB
Founded in 1950, the Edgerton Model Railroad Club houses one of the most carefully curated holiday model train layouts in Rochester. Located in the Edgerton Recreation Center at 41 Backus Street, this club has maintained four large displays for more than seventy-five years, each depicting one of the four seasons. With thousands of dollars’ worth of model trains donated from the Lionel Corporation and backdrops painted by the Rochester Art Club, many groups and individuals have contributed to the maintenance and artistry of this display over the years. Santa’s house at the North Pole sits high atop the mountains above the winter scene that includes a snowman building contest, a parade down the miniature Main Street and tiny Christmas trees for sale. Visitors are sure to enjoy the twinkling lights set to holiday music as well as pushing all the buttons that make the town come to life. Check out edgertonmodelrailroadclub.com for more information on this year’s holiday model train display.
❼ DISPLAY AT BRIGHTON MEMORIAL LIBRARY
We’re right on schedule! Let’s head over to 2300 Elmwood Avenue and check out the trains at the Brighton Memorial Library. In December, this local library hosts two setups in its large program room. While at the library, be sure to check out a VIP pass to the New York Museum of Transportation. Your pass can be checked out just like a book and will allow you one free admission to the museum with one paid admission. Visit brightonlibrary.org for more information on the train display as well as the full list of participating museums and arts organizations in the VIP pass program at this and all Monroe County libraries.
❽ MEDINA RAILROAD MUSEUM
Home to Western New York’s Polar Express Train Ride, the Medina Railroad Museum is also the place to view one of the largest model train layouts in New York. Located in a restored freight station at 530 West Avenue in the town of Medina, this display is 204 feet long and fourteen feet wide. Visitors are able to interact with the layout through push-button controls and view the impressive twelve sets of 100-car trains. This unique museum serves as an interactive timeline of Western New York over the years, featuring artifacts from rail companies from the 1800s to the present day. medinarailroadmuseum.org.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2026 issue of (585) Kids.
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