The Brandywine Railroad at the Brandywine Museum of Art premiered on Black Friday in 1972.
The fan favorite holiday O-gauge model train at the Chadds Ford museum utilizes hundreds of train cars running along 1,000 feet of track through various scenes.
Keeping it all running smoothly for the past 37 years is Paul Hoerner, the museum’s senor model railroad specialist.
The layout, created for one particular second-floor gallery, stays the same year-to-year.
“The layout doesn’t change much but we know we have people who come year after year for generations so we’re always trying to improve by adding new scenes, upgrading some scenes, changing some things because things might be getting a little old,” Hoerner said.
Hoerner was at West Chester University decades ago when he answered a help wanted from the museum.
“I came down right before Thanksgiving to help set up a Christmas display. It was like the perfect way for a college student to make a couple of bucks for Christmas,” he said. “And when I got to see what was going on here, I just fell in love with working here and with providing a great experience [for visitors].”
Read more about Paul Hoerner in Chadds Ford Live.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in December 2024.
