Our story
Six decades of model railroading.
Frank Shankle, Warren McClure, John Peteri, and Jack Miller founded FCSME in March 1966. The club built its first layout in a rented Walkersville shed in 1968.
The 56-foot, HO-scale Catoctin Central Railroad is a fictional route through Frederick County and the Catoctin Mountains. It connects with the HOn3 narrow-gauge Catoctin Mountain Lines. The full-size car once carried thoroughbred racehorses between Chicago and Cincinnati.
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1966
The club begins. Four model railroaders found FCSME in Frederick.
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1972
A remarkable home. FCSME moves the C&O horse car to East Patrick Street and begins the layout.
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Late 1970s
Narrow gauge arrives. HOn3 joins the HO railroad.
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1995
A short move. The Carroll Creek flood-control project relocates the car.
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2000
The railroad grows. Members add an outdoor G-scale layout.
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2022
A new home. Redevelopment sends the 75-ton car by truck to the Walkersville Southern Railroad.
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Today
The line continues. Volunteers preserve the car and improve the layout.
Trains cross bridges, pass over tall hills, dive into deep tunnels, creep into towns, and fly by on lengthy mainline tracks.