Frederick County Society of Model Engineers - FCSME

04/22/2026

Mark your calendars!

🚨🔥 BIG NEWS IS HERE!!! 🔥🚨

Opening Day is just 10 DAYS AWAY and we’ve been keeping a MASSIVE secret… 👀

✨ ENGINE 101 IS BACK!!! ✨

Our beloved #101 will be making its GRAND DEBUT and trust us… this isn’t just a return… we’ve got a few surprises up our sleeve for Opening Day that you won’t want to miss! 😱🚂

After all the hard work this offseason, it’s finally time to see this beauty roll the rails again. There’s nothing like the sound, the power, and the history of 101 coming back to life! 🙌

📅 Opening Day – May 2nd
🚂 Trains departing at 11am & 2pm

🎉 PLUS… it’s not just trains!
🛍️ Pop up on Penn will also be happening with 30+ local vendors — shop, eat, and explore before or after your ride!

⚠️ This is going to be a CAN’T MISS day and trains will fill up fast!

🎟️ Book your tickets NOW:
👉 www.wsrr.org

04/06/2026

This past weekend, we made some significant progress on the upcoming industrial area! We successfully cut, fitted, and attached large cardboard pieces to the area where the new track will eventually be installed. This process serves several purposes:

1. It acts as a protective barrier for trains running through this area on the main lines, in case of a derailment. If a train jumps the tracks in this area, it won’t hit the floor.

2. It enables us to place buildings and create rough track plans. This step is crucial for the planning and development of the industrial area.

3. We can use the cardboard pieces as a “stencil” to trace cutting lines when we’re ready to use plywood and/or foam for a permanent foundation.

Stay tuned as we continue our projects and revitalize the layout!

03/30/2026

Last weekend, some of our members completed the last main line loop by laying down about 10 feet of track and building the interchange off the main line.

This interchange will connect to our new upcoming industrial area, allowing us to run trains around the main line, drop them off, and have a second engine pick them up to deliver them to different industries!
This will make for a fun little operation session when it’s all done!

Next up, we’ll need to do some wiring, and then both of our main lines will be fully operational again.

If you’d like to join in on the fun, just message us, and we’ll get you an application to become a member!

03/15/2026

The projects you see our club members working on is brought to you by our member’s annual dues and YOUR support!

If you would like to donate towards our on going projects, you can now do so virtually!

Any donation is greatly appreciated and helps keep our trains running smoothly!

You can donate on:
PayPal:
CashApp: $FCSMEtrains207
Venmo:

Thank you in advance!

03/14/2026

Work is continuing full steam ahead on the revitalization project!
Today we completed one loop and started laying track on the other loop. About 21 ft (or 1/3 of a mile of real life distance 😉) was put down today. Some more roadbed work needs to happen before more track can be placed on the other loops. Then it’s time for wiring and electrical work. By the end of the month we hope to have both loops up and running for test runs!

Stay tuned for more updates and our projects progress!! ⚒️ 🛤️ 🛠️

03/10/2026

Stay tuned and see what’s happening with our friends at the Walkersville Southern Railroad and Museum! They have some pretty cool projects going on as well 🚂 😊

02/23/2026

Our renovation project is moving “full steam ahead”.

Our members have finished removing the last of the old narrow gauge scene and the old hand-laid standard gauge main line tracks. Now, we’re getting ready to install new flex-track on the main lines. Flex track is more dependable and less likely to expand or contract. The old hand-laid tracks was very susceptible to gauge issues with the elements our layout is exposed to.

Once the main lines are back in place and operational, we’ll start building a foundation for the new industrial area that will fill the space.

Keep an eye on our page to see how things are going!

01/26/2026

This past weekend (before the snow storm) members got to work on the decommissioning of the Narrow Gauge area to make way for a standard gauge industrial area.

The plan is to have a few industries in this area and a small interchange for some operating sessions. This area will be made level with some switching/street running.

But don’t worry Narrow Gauge lovers, the Narrow Gauge will still run on a “high line” above the industrial area on a back-n-forth system! It will cross over just behind the industrial area on a large arch viaduct. This viaduct design will also allow you to get some glimpses of the standard gauge trains passing on the back side of the layout that was once hidden from view. 🚂 👀

Stay tuned for more updates as we are moving full steam ahead on projects!!

01/12/2026

Even though we are closed to the public for the Winter Season, our Club Members are still hard at work making improvements inside the car.

This past weekend our Members removed those old unused cubbies in preparation to remove the old steam piping. In the end, will give us an extra (roughly) 24 sq ft at our entrance!

If you would like to join our club and work on some projects or our layout, now is your time to join!!

Please send us a message or email our Club President at [email protected] for more information and an application!

We hope to see you aboard!

12/31/2025

As 2025 departs and 2026 arrives, we wanted to thank everyone that has came out this past year and supported us! We could not have done all that we do without your continued support.

We wish everyone a Happy New Year!

We hope to see you all again in May 2026 when we reopen!
In the meantime, keep an eye on our page while we work on serval projects during the “off season”.

12/25/2025

The FCSME would like to wish all of our fans, friends, and family a very Merry Christmas!