Wow, what a weekend! The 2026 RPM Valley Forge event in Malvern, Pennsylvania was great fun. It had been about six months since the last railroad prototype modeler (RPM) meet I attended. I needed to recharge my hobby inspiration.
This was the very first time that I hosted an operating session and opened the layout for a tour in conjunction with an RPM. The operating session was held on Friday morning and spilled into the afternoon.
Here’s the crew figuring out the work as the session began. All four crew members have operated on several other layouts, but none were quite like my B&O Wheeling Freight Terminal. The jobs aren’t puzzles but they do require thinking, planning, and communication.
About one hundred freight cars were handled overall. The fifty inbound cars were split fairly evenly between the freight house and the team yard. Outbound cars were about the same total with near equal numbers coming from each facility. The crews worked about two and a half hours to spot the inbound cars and pull the outbounds, then we took a break for lunch. Afterwards, the outbound cars were sorted for their five main B&O destinations beyond Wheeling and the clean out track.
I drove over to the RPM hotel after the session ended. It was about thirty minutes from my home. I had packed sixteen display models the day before so I wouldn’t be rushed. The photo above shows them set up at the RPM. I’ve created a gallery of RPM Valley Forge images on my photo site for everyone to enjoy.
I gave a couple of presentations on Saturday that were well received. Activities at the hotel were all over by Noon on Sunday but I needed to get home for the afternoon open house. Sixteen RPM attendees stopped by to visit and check out the Wheeling Freight Terminal.
Once the clock passed the closing time, I finally had time to relax with a nice cold beer. It was great to be part of RPM Valley Forge. There were many solid presentations and display models, and it’s always a good time spending time with modeling friends.
There are many Railroad Prototype Modeler events scheduled for 2026. Check out the RPM Calendar to see what you can attend this year. Don’t forget to pack some models to display!
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This was my first RPM Valley Forge. I did not do any layout tours or ops sessions, maybe next time. The meet for me was excellent. Great models, lots of fantastic clinics (my favorite part of any RPM), a very nice facility, and a good mix of vendors. I will definitely go again in 2028.