Choo Choo Barn

Strasburg, Pennsylvania - Choo Choo Barn - Full Tour HD (2017)

The Choo Choo Barn, Traintown U.S.A. is a 1,700-square-foot (160 m2) train display in Strasburg, Pennsylvania that features over 150 hand-built animated figures and vehicles and 22 operating trains.

The Choo Choo Barn was born in 1945, in the basement of the Groff home on Franklin Street in Strasburg, PA. George Groff (the originator) had just returned from World War II, and was looking for a Christmas present for his two-year-old son Gary. He found a $12.50 Lionel train set, and he helped his son set it up. Within a few years, that simple set had taken over a large portion of the family basement. In the 1950s, the family opened their now very elaborate display up for townspeople and local school groups during the Christmas holidays.

In the early 60's, George and Florence needed some extra funds to help pay for college. George noticed a small township maintenance facility (more like a barn) that became available along Route 741, just to the west of the recently reopened Strasburg Rail Road. The Choo Choo Barn opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1961 with over 600 square feet (56 m2) of detailed landscaping, 6 trains, and 6 animated figures.

Over the next few years, the display continued to grow, as George added something new each year. In time, his children began to help out, from collecting tickets to adding their own ideas to the growing display. A gift shop was added to the front of the building, and a picnic grove was constructed to the west of the parking lot (free tickets to the grove were available to all Barn visitors).

When the elder Groffs retired in 1979, their youngest son Thomas, and his wife Linda, became the new owners, builders, and operators of the Choo Choo Barn. This train layout has grown into an attraction for all ages and all groups. The display continues to re-open each spring, and Tom Groff with his team continue to update the display every year.

Signature scene depicts fire truck leaving the firehouse to arrive at a burning home. The firemen disembark the truck to rush to the aid of the homeowners, squirting real water on the fire. Their mission is accomplished, and they happily return on the truck to the fire station.

This display pays homage to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania - with miniature replicas of The Willows Restaurant, Dutch Wonderland amusement park, the Strasburg Railroad, and a scale version of the Groff family home.

Strasburg is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It developed as a linear village along the Great Conestoga Road, stretching about two miles along path later known as the Strasburg Road. The population was 2,800 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Strasbourg in Alsace, the native home of an early settler. The town is often called Train Town USA because of the many railroad attractions in and around town, including the Strasburg Rail Road and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Much of the movie Witness was filmed on a farm nearby. Much of the borough was listed as a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The Choo Choo Barn Model Train Layout in Strasburg Pennsylvania

As you know, Pilentum lives in Germany. But Pilentum knows that there are many wonderful model railroad displays in the United States. A great desire of Pilentum is to visit the US once to film these great model train layouts. Unfortunately, the travel costs from Germany to the US are very high. But in order to present some of the most impressive model railways Pilentum asked the Choo Choo Barn for getting some video footage. So this video was created.

Now, you should ask yourself why Pilentum did choose the Choo Choo Barn. The reason is the extraordinary story behind this model railroad exhibit. The Choo Choo Barn was originally born in 1945, in the basement of the Groff home in Strasburg. George Groff had just returned from World War II, and was looking for a Christmas present for his son Gary. He found a $ 12.50 Lionel model train set. And, one thing led to another - within few years - that simple train set had begun to take over a larger and larger portion of the family basement. In the 1950’s, the Groff family began opening their model railroad display for neighbors, townspeople and local school groups during the Christmas holidays.

The exhibition became very popular so that the Groff family decided to move the model railroad into a small township maintenance facility. Then, the Choo Choo Barn, as George decided to call his display, opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1961, and it was very quickly a hit with local folks and visitors alike. With over 600 square feet of detailed landscaping, 6 trains, and 6 animated figures, people knew they were seeing something special and unique.

Over the years, the display continued to grow. The train layout has grown into an attraction for all ages and all groups. There are miniature replicas of The Willows Restaurant, Dutch Wonderland amusement park, the Strasburg Railroad, and a scale version of the Groff family home. Today, the Choo Choo Barn is a 1,700 square feet model train layout.

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