Paul Hoerner, a former train conductor and the Brandywine River Museum of Art’s model train specialist, brings joy to many each holiday season with “Brandywine Christmas,” the museum’s model train display, writes Lisa Dukart for Main Line Today.

More than three decades ago, Hoerner began working on his display of nearly 2,000 feet of track with more than 1,000 accompanying items.

“When I was a freshman in college in 1987, a couple of friends and I saw a help-wanted ad to set up a museum display right around Thanksgiving, and they happened to be model trains,” said Hoerner. “I’ve been there ever since.”

Throughout the years, Hoerner has made sure to balance tradition with innovation in the display.

“We always try and have a nod to the past, but we also understand that we have people who come every year,” he said. “We’ve been adding more lights to buildings and trying to add more animation and buttons you can push.”

The model train display can be seen until Jan. 5.

Read more about Paul Hoerner in Main Line Today here.

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