This highly detailed, 10 x 20-foot, HO scale railroad layout was created by a group of modelers known as The Eastern Loggers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its cohesive theme accurately depicts Pennsylvania’s lumber industry in the 1920s, with expertly built scenery inspired by the “Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania” book series written by Walter Casler, Benjamin Kline, and Thomas Taber. The layout includes scenes of woods-work, sawmills and other forest product industries, and trains pulled by Shay, Climax, and Heisler geared locomotives.
The four founding members of the Eastern Loggers started modeling together in 1981. Over the next 40 years nearly two dozen others joined and contributed to the layout. The layout was donated to the museum in 2021. The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum offers its sincere thanks and appreciation to the Loggers for their generous gift of this beautiful layout; allowing visitors to review in miniature a summation of the lumber history learned while touring museum exhibits.
The Eastern Loggers layout was largely built from scratch using basic raw materials to create the structures, rolling stock, and scenery. Some commercial items were also adapted. The Loggers pioneered an innovative foamboard construction technique for both the track bed and scenery, avoiding plywood and other heavy materials. All track was laid by hand, employing curving routes and view-blocking scenery to make the layout appear larger.
Many members of the Eastern Loggers continue to support their donation of the layout to the museum by volunteering to operate it during museum special events. The museum has also raised a cadre of local volunteers to assist in the operation and maintenance of the layout. If model railroads are “your thing” and you’d like to volunteer with us, please contact the museum Site Administrator, Joshua Roth, at josroth@pa.gov, or 814-435-2652 to discuss the details. We currently demonstrate the layout regularly at these museum Special Events: the Spring Show, Bark Peelers’ Festival, Fall Show, and Santa in the Shay. The layout is also operated for school tours during the Spring and Fall “Woodhick Day” events. Please contact the museum if you would like more information concerning the operations schedule for the layout.
