Dedicated to preserving the history of the Lehigh Valley Railroad at the Manchester Railroad Memorial Park in Manchester, New York
The MMRA is dedicated to promoting public education at the Manchester Railroad Memorial Park, and preserving the history of the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Manchester, New York through an operating O scale layout in a historic LVRR boxcar at the park.
latest news
Updates on MMRA events and open houses
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The Red Boxcar layout will be open to the general public in 2026 on the 3rd Sunday monthly from April to December.
Our Open Houses are scheduled for the same day as the Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society so guests can stop by both sites in one visit!
Our General Membership Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 5pm at the Village Hall in Manchester, NY. Anyone with an interest in local history or model railroading is invited to attend to see what it's all about!
The annual car show is our organization's only major fundraiser. Mark the date and tell your friends! There is no admission charge for spectators, so please come to see the cars and support our vendors. Food, music, and fun for all!
You can download a .pdf copy of the Car Show flyer below:
Help Us Bring an Authentic Lehigh Valley Caboose Home to Manchester!
The caboose is currently owned by the Newark Valley Historical Society. This actual caboose saw extensive service in the Lehigh Valley classification yard west of the Railroad Park in Manchester where our O Scale layout is located.
Click on the "Caboose" page link in the menu bar above for more information and a link to the GofundMe. Please consider donating to Help Us Bring It Home!
If you're interested in learning more about the history of the Caboose in American railroading, click on this link for a History Channel presentation.
Well-known model railroad craftsman Bob Frey has offered this highly detailed and weathered Lehigh Valley Railroad HO scale caboose replica as a reward in the Manchester Model Railroad Association's LVRR Caboose fundraiser.
Anyone making a donation of $1,000 or more will have the opportunity to win this model replica of the actual LVRR caboose along with a custom display case. In addition, the caboose is fully functional and can be run on any HO scale layout. Bob would normally value this model and display case at $229.
If you are interested in entering, please mail your $1,000 check made out to Manchester Model Railroad Association to: MMRA Treasurer, 36 Center St, Manchester, NY 14504 with "LVRR Caboose" in the memo line.
MMRA member Rand Warner is now 91 years young. If you see him out and about in the community this year, wish him a happy 91st birthday!
Progress Reports
Progress reports on the MMRA's Red Boxcar layout and the Green Boxcar Museum
Inside the Green Boxcar at the Manchester Railroad Memorial Park.
Framing work has begun on the interior of the Green Boxcar at the park!
While the Red Boxcar features an O Gauge layout representing the LVRR in Manchester NY, the Green Boxcar will be a museum housing the actual hand tools and other historical artifacts celebrating the men and women who worked there.
When finished, it will be open to the public, and will include an operating Lehigh Valley themed G Scale shelf layout featuring Lehigh Valley Railroad equipment.
Closer Look at the Small Town at the "West" end of the Red Boxcar layout
This section of the layout is a fictional representation of one of the many small towns in the Finger Lakes area of WNY served by the LVRR in its heyday.
6 Stall Roundhouse Model and Turntable
Work continues on our layout's representation of the LVRR Roundhouse. The roundhouse was at the east end of the real life LVRR in Manchester. The original structure still stands off Lehigh Circle. For more info see our "About" page.
Scratch Built Manchester Switch Tower
Installed by the Roundhouse, this switch tower is modeled after the original LVRR switch tower that stood near State Route 21. Scratch built by MMRA member and NMRA Master Model Railroader Richard Senges; details include individual shake shingle strips, 15 real glass windows, interior detail and lighting.
Our layout includes a representation of the yard area with its double main line, transfer shed, and roundhouse engine service area. The track plan features three loops for continuous running; red outer loop with 72" radius curves, a yellow inner loop, and the green loop positioned between the inner and outer loops.
The track plan for this end of the layout shows our representation of the iconic roundhouse and associated engine service structures. The actual roundhouse had 30 bays for locomotives, but we had to settle for just 6 to fit the space!
While work continues on the final details, the water treatment plant, ash pit, sanding tower, water column, and bunkhouse are already installed.