The magic of model railroading is back in time for the holidays. Friday, Nov. 18, the Southwest Louisiana O Gauge Model Railroad Club will launch the running of trains exhibit at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, 204 West Sallier St. in Lake Charles. Now’s the time to sign up for the museum’s Kids Holiday Art Camp, too.

Don’t miss this train with whistles and steam chugging around a 35-feet by 15-feet display of buildings (most with an interesting history behind them) and houses, depots and tree-dotted landscape. Youngsters will love seeing reminders of favorite movies and books as they view the Polar Express and Thomas the Train. The young and young at heart will enjoy antique train signage and other train memorabilia.

Thad Hillis Carter, author of “Railroads of Lake Charles,” will give a talk about the local trains of days past Thursday, Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit runs through Dec. 31.

“Our old layout at Brimstone was completely destroyed by the hurricanes,” said Andy Buckley, club member and creator of many of the structures.

The exhibit had been at the Sulphur museum since 2016. Buckley organized the club in 2015, along with Edwin Sherwood and Barry McCall to model the southern Pacific Missouri Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railroads in East Texas and Southwest Louisiana during the steam to diesel transition era.

The club salvaged and repaired what they could, only about 25 percent of the exhibit, and  have created a new Lake Charles modular design with new “stops.”

“The modular design means it can be taken down and put up for different exhibits,” Buckley said. “We’re looking at setting up this summer at Vacation Bible Schools.”

The 2022 modular layout, based on buildings from the 1950s and 1960s will feature the famous Southern Pacific Sunset Limited passenger train, KCS Flying Crow passenger train, two Union Pacific “Big Boy,” steam locomotives, a Barnum and Bailey Circus train, two switch yards on the end of three tracks.

Buckley built many of the buildings, including the Port of Lake Charles Rice Dryer, Westlake Chemical Building, a 1950s Gulf Gasoline Station and a Southwest Louisiana Cotton Gin & Cotton Seed Mill.

“I based the design on an actual cotton gin in Opelousas,” Buckley said.

On Friday, Nov. 18 and onThursday, Dec. 1 admission is free. On other days, the Imperial Calcasieu Museum admission is $5.

See the train and sign up for art camp. The Imperial Calcasieu Museum Kids Holiday Art Camp is a four week series on the following Saturdays: Nov. 26, Dec. 3, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Every Saturday will have a different craft for ages K-6, for example, decorating ornaments, wrapping paper and wreaths. Call 337-439-3797 or visit to book holiday classes. Hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.