The biggest model railroad club in the Northwest has hand-built everything from Union Station to Multnomah Falls in meticulous detail — with the occasional whimsical flourish (we see you, Bigfoot).

If you know the right people, it’s possible to travel by train from Oakland to Sparks, Nevada in about 25 minutes. The catch is that the entirety of the trip exists inside a single, open-air room.

BOISE, Idaho — Chugging through Idaho’s history, model railroad clubs in the Treasure Valley serve as places of community. The smaller-than-life trains at the Old Boise Model Railroad Club and ...

On the North Side of Chicago, a little boy looked out on a neighborhood scene. A car had crashed into a fire hydrant, water spurting out, the lights on a police car flickering. And then a nearby train ...