Dale Desser, of Erie, doesn't want visitors to simply watch his spectacular model railroad. He invites people to operate it.

Dave Maher shows off a portion of the world of model trains he created in his Londonderry basement. LONDONDERRY — Trains seem to run in Dave Maher’s family.

THIS MAY LOOK LIKE A DISPLAY OUT OF TRAIN MUSEUM, BUT IT’S NOT. THIS MODEL TRAIN SET IS INSIDE RENE AND NANCY HARMS CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP HOME. >> IT TOOK OFF INTO TAKING OVER OUR WHOLE BASEMENT ...

Richard Fifield’s Epsom basement is a bustling depot.Rich Fifield gives a demonstration of his model railroad setup at his home in Epsom on Monday. He’ll be at Sunday’s model railroad show ...

I was allowed to go into the basement once a day to work on my trains and that kept my sanity.” Urquhart said for him, playing with his model trains is therapeutic.

Model trains run year-round at Union Station. But during the holiday season, the exhibit expands from 8,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet.

"Everybody had Christmas trees and trains running underneath them," said the president of the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum.

Rhenn Zumwalt, 4, watches a miniature freight train pass through a miniature town layout during the Train Show and Open House ...

Railroad displays at Christmastime evoke an American era in which trains brought relatives, holiday gifts and childhood memories to town.