Prairie Scale Model Railroaders

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Prairie Scale Model Railroaders We are a HO scale model railroad club located in the Chicago suburbs. Now accepting new members! All skills and interests welcomed to join and participate.

What Makes PSMR Different?

* Operations - Our layout is designed, and being built, for operations. Everything from car routing to prototypical train operation is being planned for.

* We strive to have members who are involved. You are welcome to just come and run trains, but we love members who will plan, create, and participate.

* State-of-the-Art - We use the North Coast Engineering DCC system to run our trains. We will also utilize this DCC system to interface with Signaling, Dispatching, and Route Control. We also are using and developing scenery techniques to produce the most realistic looking layout we can.

* Size - We have 800' (over 13 scale miles) of mainline operational. When all mainline trackage is complete, it will comprise a possible mainline run of over 30 scale miles without running through the same scene. The layout is designed to have operational flexibility.

* RPM - PSMR closely follows the Railroad Prototype Modelers philosophy of modeling from the prototype. While not modeling any specific scenes, we use the prototype as an inspiration for designing, building, and operating our railroad.

* Access - As a regular (non-probationary) member, you have 24/7/365 access to the club.

* Share and learn with regular people who have a passion for railroads and model railroading.

* The layout is still under construction - Come and help us build the best track plan in the Western Suburbs.

New bar going in by the entrance to the coke plant. Stop by and have a beer.
05/19/2026

New bar going in by the entrance to the coke plant. Stop by and have a beer.

Lots of updates going on around the layout! Especially in Whiting and Elkhart. Be sure to attend the next open house to ...
04/22/2026

Lots of updates going on around the layout! Especially in Whiting and Elkhart. Be sure to attend the next open house to see all the progress in person!

The employees were complaining there weren’t any drink machines in the plant at the Coke Works, so management had one pu...
04/21/2026

The employees were complaining there weren’t any drink machines in the plant at the Coke Works, so management had one put in at the freight house. Interesting brand choice. Someone has a sense of humor up in the office I think.

Coke machine by Interaction Hobbies.

04/12/2026

🚂 TODAY: Model Train Open House! 🚂
Looking for a Sunday afternoon adventure? Come visit the Prairie Scale Model Railroaders and see our massive HO scale layout in action! We’ve been hard at work on the scenery near the tank farm and the new coal bunker—come check out the progress.

When: Today, April 12th

Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Where: 3 E Ash St. Lombard, IL (Lower Level)

Whether you’re a lifelong railfan or just looking for some family-friendly fun, we’d love to see you there. Admission is free!

More scenery done on By-Product plant down by the tank farm. Roads are down around the pump houses, Benzol plant, pyridi...
04/11/2026

More scenery done on By-Product plant down by the tank farm. Roads are down around the pump houses, Benzol plant, pyridine plant, and power house. Closer and closer to adding the final pipes. The coal bunker and coke loader is finished and in place. We’ll hook up some lights next week as well.

Address

3 E Ash Street (basement)
Lombard, IL
60148

Opening Hours

Wednesday 7pm - 9:30pm
Friday 7pm - 9:30pm

Website

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