WSJ Profiles Pacific Southern Railway in Feature on Model Railroading, Legacy, and the Race to Preserve a Club
Jan 16, 2025
In a detailed and heartfelt article published January 15, 2025, The Wall Street Journal spotlighted the Pacific Southern Railway and the unique challenges facing one of New Jersey’s most iconic model railroad clubs. Titled “A Hobbyist’s Death Starts a Race to Save a Railroad” and written by senior reporter Betsy McKay, with photographs and video by Michelle Gustafson, the piece captures both the intricate operations of the Pacific Southern and the urgency of its uncertain future.
The story opens in the club’s control room — a basement in a Rocky Hill home where, on Wednesday nights, club president Jeff Bernardis dispatches nearly a dozen HO scale trains across 3,500 feet of meticulously hand-laid track. Modeled on real-world railroading principles, the club’s layout includes lifelike scenery, operational signals, and even custom software developed by Bernardis himself. “We’re not just people running trains around the Christmas tree,” he notes.
But the Pacific Southern now faces a pivotal challenge. Following the passing of former club president Carlton Pate III in 2023, his widow Anne Pate has announced plans to sell the home that has housed the club since its founding in 1964. While the layout itself is a marvel, it resides in a private basement — a rare arrangement in the model railroading world. With none of the 30 current members in a position to purchase the home, the future of the club depends on finding a buyer who will preserve the layout and allow the club to continue operating.
The article features reflections from longtime members, including retired architect Francis Treves and information tech veteran Jim Albanowski, as well as newer voices like 16-year-old Henry Kazen and Catherine Plunkett, a scientist who is learning the ropes as a trainmaster. Each contributor speaks to the club’s rich sense of camaraderie and technical ambition.
Pate’s condition for the club's continued use of the home has always been clear: keep the trains running, welcome new members, and maintain the club’s spirit of education and outreach. From virtual operations during the pandemic to intergenerational mentorship, the Pacific Southern Railway is more than a hobby — it’s a living legacy.
Read the full article here:
A Hobbyist’s Death Starts a Race to Save a Railroad – The Wall Street Journal
