Summer Train Fest to Bring Family Fun, Model Railroading and Community Support to Rocky Hill

Nicholas Mistretta

Pacific Southern Railway will kick off the summer season with its first-ever Pacific Southern Railway Summer Train Fest, a one-day, rain-or-shine event featuring model trains, family activities, live entertainment and support for local emergency services.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 20, at Pacific Southern Railway, located at 26 Washington Street in Rocky Hill. Tickets are $10, with children under 10 admitted free. Proceeds will support local fire and EMT services in New Jersey, according to event organizers.

The Summer Train Fest will give visitors a chance to tour Pacific Southern Railway’s 5,000-square-foot model railroad museum and see multiple train layouts operating throughout the property. The Rocky Hill-based nonprofit club describes itself as a long-running model railroad organization dedicated to preserving American railroad history, building museum-quality HO-scale models and introducing new generations to the hobby. 

The club’s layout includes extensive track, scenery, dispatching and signaling systems. Pacific Southern Railway’s website says its 5,000-square-foot HO-scale layout features more than 3,500 feet of hand-laid track and realistic operations.

In addition to the train displays, the event will include balloon animals, face painting, outdoor activities, a live band, a food truck, a working R2-D2 and open access to the property’s yard. Rocky Hill Fire and EMT personnel are also expected to be on site to meet families and community members.

The event comes as Pacific Southern Railway continues to draw attention for its long history and unusual home inside a Rocky Hill residence. The club was founded in 1964 and has operated for decades as a community of model railroad enthusiasts. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2025 that television personality James “Murr” Murray of Impractical Jokers and his wife, Melyssa Murray, purchased the Rocky Hill home where the railroad operates, allowing the club to remain in place after its future had been uncertain.

For families, organizers say the Summer Train Fest is designed as both a hands-on community event and a chance to experience one of the area’s most distinctive local attractions. Multiple train layouts will be running, and the event will include activities for both young children and longtime train fans.

Parking will be available for free along the street on the north side of Washington Street, also known as Route 518.

Tickets may be purchased at www.SummerTrainShow.com. Walk-up admission will be available, subject to capacity.

Photo Credit: Pacific Southern Railway