Tucked away in the basement of the Purdue Memorial Union, an entire world is unfolding under the watchful eyes of members of the Purdue Railroad Club (PRRC). Prompted by advances in model train technology, the club tore out a nearly 50-year-old model in 2008 to rebuild the present-day layout. The new track, the third in this location, spans more than 600 square feet in two rooms. Seven years later, there is much work left to be done.
“The focus now is on building scenery, so there’s a lot of opportunity for individual expression, and each member can develop an area and take it in their own direction,” says Graham Bethel, a senior in civil engineering from West Lafayette and former club president.
That aspect of creativity is what appeals to Matt Waldburger, a sophomore in industrial design from South Bend, Indiana. “I had done some model railroading as a kid, but when I saw these blank walls, I was inspired to paint the backdrops. That is my canvas.” He hopes to complete all 1,000 square feet of backdrops by the time he graduates.
One of the oldest continuously operating clubs on campus, PRRC was founded in 1935 by A.V. Johanson (EE’39) and Frank Willey (EE’37). First housed in the attic of the Mechanical Engineering Building, the club moved to its current location in 1947.
Club membership has hovered around a dozen people in recent years. Though PRRC holds open houses and attends campus activity fairs, many members discover the club by happenstance. “It’s kind of a joke among members that people find us when they’re searching for the bowling alley,” says Thomas Adamson, a senior in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Dayton, Ohio. “That’s how I found the club; I was wandering around the basement.”
Bethel’s connection to the club stretches back to his grade school years when his parents brought him to view the old model in the early 2000s. “A lot of people love trains as kids, but that goes away when they get older,” he says. “It never went away for me. Coming down here and joining this group was the realization of a childhood dream. I plan to pursue a career in the rail industry.”
A shared love of trains and a penchant for problem-solving unite club members across majors, creating lifelong connections for model train enthusiasts. PRRC alumni regularly return to visit and are overjoyed with the new construction, the progress, and the continuity of the club, says Bethel.
“It’s a timeless hobby,” says Waldburger. “Alumni from 50 years ago are just as much into this as we are. We are part of a tradition that is passed along.”
One constant is the camraderie that develops among club members. Adamson recalls a visit from one alum who, after observing the current PRRC members interacting with one another, noted that the club hadn’t changed a bit. “He saw in us the same personalities, the same mannerisms of the PRRC that he belonged to 40 years ago.”
Just as in previous decades, today’s club members don’t spend all of their time in the basement. They spend plenty of time railfanning, the term train enthusiasts use for visiting transportation museums, photographing railroad cars, seeking out rare models, or just watching a train roll by. But they always return to room B-87, where there is so much work left to be done.
“A layout is never really finished,” says Waldburger. “You can get to the point where you might think you really can’t do much more work on it, but there is always something you can do. It’s never truly done.”
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