By Alex Sorrells / The Jambar
The Youngstown Model Railroad Association started operating in the area in 1957, holding meetings in members’ houses until it moved into the Youngstown railroad station on Wilson Avenue.
Once the passenger trains stopped in 1962, the club moved to a building on Fifth Avenue that was eventually bought by Youngstown State University. This led the association to settle into the old Four Mile Run Christian Church in Austintown in 1977.
The building is sectioned off by floor, with the upstairs designated to O scale model trains — to the scale of 1-to-48. The downstairs section is for HO scale model trains, which are half the size, with a ratio of 1-to-87.
Bruce Silvernail, treasurer of the YMRA, said he, along with many others, got into the hobby as a child. Today, he enjoys the social aspect of the club as well as learning about the history of Youngstown.
“I’ve met people from so many walks of life because model railroading brings people from so many walks of life that would not normally interact with [each other],” Silvernail said.
Silvernail said several World War II veterans founded the group, and he was able to sit down and listen to their stories from the club.
“That’s the great thing about the club — if you’re not good at something, somebody else is. They do that part, then you do your part, then as a whole, you have everything you want,” Silvernail said. “I like to do sceneries, live setting scenes, doing building scenery to reproduce something historical or something from life.”
The club holds open houses for the public to visit and learn about the hobby while watching the trains in action. The next open houses will be held the first two weekends in December. Along with open houses, the association will also host flea markets on Jan. 4, 2026 and April 12, 2026 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Center in Austintown.
“We are getting some younger people in, [as] we wanted the hobby to grow. There are a lot of skills involved,” Silvernail said. “One of the wholesalers of model railroad products now sponsors a [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] scholarship to two people every year — $2,500 scholarships for how they adapt STEM-related items to model railroading.”
Silvernail said the club holds around 48 members between the O and HO scale models, with ages ranging from early 20s to mid-80s.
“It can offer you something to do as a side business. It can offer you something to do as a permanent business. It can give you a place to use your skills, especially in electronics and things like that,” Silvernail said. “We’re always trying to improve how the train is run.”
Silvernail said the best part of the club is that everyone is on the same level, as members range from steelworkers and mechanics to lawyers and engineers.
Those interested in the association can find more information on its website at ymra.org.