DANGER OF DISMANTLING: The future of the Pacific Southern Railway club’s extensive system of miniature trains and more could be in jeopardy if the club cannot find a buyer for the house in which it is located who is willing to keep it in operation.

By Anne Levin

For the past eight years, the basement of a four-bedroom Cape Cod house at 26 Washington Street in Rocky Hill has been the headquarters of a sprawling model railroad system. This 5,000-square-foot miniature world boasts trains, buildings, bridges, mountains, rivers, and even a circus train. A dispatcher, a trainmaster, three tower operators, and 15 engineers operate the system on a rotating basis.

The railroad is run by the Pacific Southern Railway (PSRY) club, which holds meetings for members and visitors on Wednesday evenings. On October 19 and 20, the club will hold its annual family-friendly train show at the house. The popular event will include hourly demonstrations between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. As has been the case for several years, all of the $10 donations support the Rocky Hill Rescue Squad and Volunteer Fire Company.

But despite its presence in the community, the 40-member club may soon be out of a home. CEO Carlton Pate III, who owned the house, died this past July. His widow, Ann Pate, is hoping to sell the home and downsize. This could be complicated. When Pate puts the property on the market this coming spring, the offer will include not only the four-bedroom house and two-acre lot, but the basement train system as well.

“I’d like whoever buys the house to buy the layout, and allow the club members to continue their Wednesday evening operations,” she said. “I know it takes a special kind of person to allow people to come into your home every week. But I was always okay with it.”

The Pates moved from Connecticut to Rocky Hill in 2016. Carl Pate was the nephew of Bob Latham, a train enthusiast who started the basement layout in 1964. In 1993, founding PSRR member Jeff Green purchased the home and expanded the layout to the north, under an outside terrace. An accessory garage structure was added after the Pates moved in, to accommodate Carl Pate’s early Ford automobiles (he was a president of the Horseless Carriage Club of North America and author of an encyclopedia on early Fords). Onsite parking was also expanded for Wednesday night club gatherings.

A typical timetable at one of those meetings is from 7:30 to around 9 p.m., running about 45 minutes. Trains go from east to west and west to east, passing models of the original Rocky Hill train station and a sawmill, among other buildings in miniature. Work is in progress on model warehouses.

Computerized occupancy and automatic train detection on LCD screens posted throughout the basement allow all members to see where the trains are located during operating sessions. Customized electronics and computer code have been written specifically for running the railroad.

“Trains automatically stop in a stopping block if an operating engineer overruns a signal, and trains can also be released by the dispatcher using computer-driven automatic train control (ATC),” club member Francis Treves wrote in an email. “The PSRY added dozens of cameras connected to the WiFi system and computer during COVID that enabled the PSRY to operate with remote train engineers in their homes without gathering in larger numbers in the basement.”

The club members bring their own trains to run on the tracks. “Any member can run any member’s train,” said Ann Pate, who is familiar with the system’s workings. “The reason the club is unique is that everybody brings their own talent. Some are interested in software, some are interested in building models, and some are interested in the artistic aspect. Others are good with running the trains. So everybody brings their own little niche, and they all work together.”

The club is in the planning stages for public shows, possibly in December and around Easter, as well as private events. Pate, who is 74, would like to sell the house by the summer. But she is in no rush.

“I don’t have a deadline. I don’t even know where I want to go yet, but I know the house is too big for me,” she said. “If we can’t find someone who wants to keep the layout, we’ll just have to see what happens.”

The train show is Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Visitors are advised to arrive 20 to 30 minutes early for on-street parking. No reservations are required. Children aged 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, visit pacificsouthern.org.