ST PAUL, Minn. — If you're into holiday lights but not the cold that often comes with them, the Twin City Model Railroad Museum has a tradition that's perfect for the entire family.
"All you have to do is press the button and see what happens," said 6-year-old Connor Jutz, who gave KARE 11 a special tour of the museum with his twin sister, Lillian.
"Here comes the train," Lillian said, pointing to one of several Christmas trains that have recently been added to the rails around the spacious, interactive space located in St. Paul. "It's all nice and decorated."
Those holiday decorations and lights get a little extra chance to grow during Night Trains, the museum's once-a-week, wintertime showcase that turns down the overhead lights — and turns up the holiday music — so that all generations can soak up the magic of the season.
"This is our O scale, two-rail, Christmas train," said Brandon Jutz, Connor and Lillian's dad. " it was custom made by several of our volunteers and every single one of these lights is individually wired in, hand drilled into the side of the car. There's just something calming and soothing about watching trains go round."
Brandon says that the very first Christmas train helped kick off Night Trains about 20 years ago, as a fundraiser for the nonprofit museum that just celebrated its 90th birthday.
"I've been coming here since I was a little kid," Brandon said. "My grandpa was a volunteer and he worked every Tuesday, so if there was a Tuesday after school for any reason, I was here running trains with him."
Lego trains shine, too
Though the museum — and the Night Trains tradition — are certainly nothing new, each year the displays build on the next.
Six years ago that meant adding a whole lot of Lego building.
"I'm Lego first, then trains," said Jesse Mohler, with the Twin Cities Lego Train Club, which also has a massive Lego display inside the museum. "I like to say I'm the architect because it's not just me, with these millions of bricks, it's my friends helping build a huge train city."
And just like all of the other layouts, the Lego city adds holiday lights and attractions for Night Trains.
"This is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on display," Jesse said. "We have floats, a couple of balloons and a marching band. It's all made of Lego, all custom made, no instructions."
There's also no pay for all the work; though Jesse, Brandon and all the other volunteer master builders and engineers will tell you the rewards are still priceless.
"It's a blessing to have this as our home and to see the smiles on their faces," Jesse said.
Connor and Lilian's dad would certainly agree.
"When we were decorating for Night Trains, my son was very proud to decorate some of the Thomas the Tank engine layouts," he said. "My daughter is over here pressing buttons, keeping the trains running while we're here, so it's been fun to have another generation of our family here."
you can check out Night Trains from 3-7 p.m. every Saturday from now through the end of February. Tickets are $15, with kids four and under getting in free. Click here to reserve tickets and check out other special events.