Is there a holiday gift that more effectively evokes Christmases gone by than model trains?

We never had a set ourselves, though we’ve always found them fascinating, and if ever we lived in a home that had an extra room (not likely as long we remain in NYC), it’s a hobby we wouldn’t mind adopting later in life.

We found the following footage, from 1940 and the 1950s, utterly charming and wanted to share it with the Cladrite community. It’s a lovely, if too brief, trip back in time.

And speaking of built-to-scale railroads (and the miniature villages they travel through), we love this short about the amazing Roadside America, one of our absolute favorite tourist attractions, which still is still thriving today in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania.

Roadside America is a must-see for anyone who might be passing through central Pennsylvania, and it’s especially appealing to anyone with an appreciation for model railroading.