Holiday Model Train Show at Greenburgh Nature Center

Back by popular demand, the GNC is partnering with the Yonkers Model Railroad Club to present a special, nine-day holiday season show entitled “Trains – Your Ticket to the Great Outdoors.” The exhibit will open on Saturday, December 7th, and run through Sunday, December 15th (closed December 13th). Weekday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except Fridays, when the Nature Center is closed), and weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This marks the ninth consecutive year that the Nature Center is hosting this exhibit. Designed for train lovers of all ages, the show will feature a special 12- by 18-foot display of HO gauge model trains traveling through countryside scenes of natural beauty, modeled on the terrain of upstate New York and New England. HO model railroad scale is 1/87th of the actual size, so a one-foot model railroad car would be 87 feet long in actual size.

The display includes special topographic features such as a mountain with a train tunnel and a mining cave tunnel. Other features include a ravine with a train trestle crossing over it, a stream with a train trestle and wooden bridge, a model village, road crossings, and a model replica of the Greenburgh Nature Center. Members of the railroad club will be on hand to talk about the trains and provide opportunities for visitors to examine some of the different kinds of train engines up-close. Members of the club and some of their trains were featured in the Grand Central Terminal 100th Anniversary Celebration this past May.

The show is being coordinated by Dr. Paul Greenburg of the Yonkers Model Railroad Club. Dr. Greenburg has designed and constructed some of the models and has been active as a model railroader for more than 50 years. He is a long-time resident of Greenburgh and has traveled by train throughout many parts of the world.

Admission fees for this special train show are $10 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, and $8 for children, ages 2-12 (children under two are free). For GNC members, the event is free. The admission fee includes admission to all of the Nature Center’s exhibits, including the live animal museum. All proceeds from the train show will help support the educational programs of the Nature Center and the Yonkers Model Railroad Club.

Special thanks to California Pizza Kitchen, Gymboree, Houlihan-Lawrence, Jake’s Wayback Burgers, Macaroni Kid, NEA Federal Credit Union, SavATree, ShopRite, WFAS, Whole Foods Market Westchester, Town of Greenburgh, Greenburgh Parks and Recreation, and Westchester County Parks for their generous support of this exhibit.

The Greenburgh Nature Center is a 33-acre woodland preserve with trails, a pond, gardens, a playground, and outdoor animal exhibits, including a birds of prey aviary. Our indoor exhibits include a live animal museum with over 100 specimens, exhibit areas focusing on nature and the environment, a greenhouse with botanical exhibits, and a gift shop. The Center offers programs for groups of all ages on a wide range of environmental topics, camps, adult programs, community events, and birthday parties, either here or at your location. They also have a wide range of volunteering opportunities for all ages and skill levels.

The mission of the Greenburgh Nature Center is to offer inspiring, hands-on environmental education experiences, to foster an appreciation of nature, and to promote sustainable practices.

The Nature Center is located at 99 Dromore Road, off Central Park Avenue, in Scarsdale, NY. Parking is free, and handicapped parking is available. The Nature Center’s grounds are open daily dawn to dusk throughout the year. The Center’s indoor exhibits are open daily except Fridays and a few holidays, 9:30AM - 4:30PM on weekdays (closed Fridays) and10AM - 4:30PM on weekends. For more information, visit our website at www.greenburghnaturecenter.org or call 914-723-3470.