Historical Society of
Mount Airy, Maryland, Inc.
The purpose of the model railroad display is to enhance the education and appreciation of the B&O railroad and Mt. Airy’s history during this era. The landscaped ridges, slopes and runs are topographically accurate and model the unique landscape challenges faced in building both the railroad and Main Street. A hand painted mural serves as the backdrop and highlights both the landscape, historic street scenes and historic homes north of Prospect Road.
The model railroad display is a 1:87 scale (also known as HO Scale) interactive diorama of the historic Baltimore & Ohio railroad which ran past the Mt. Airy train station and related town industry. The display models the quarter-mile stretch of track emerging from Parr’s Ridge to the east, past the train station, across main street, and heading west toward the Mt. Airy Canning Company.
The diorama accurately models the B&O railroad track plan from 1915, and incorporates a variety of industry building structures, railroad engines and cars, and historical scenes of the town from approximately 1870 through 1915. It includes trains from three different eras electronically running on a computerized system. The display is interactive with touch sensitive buttons by which the public can activate bells, whistles, and voice-over audio wave files which provide a brief overview and history of the town.