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
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 in nearby Shortsville, New York 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!
MMRA members apply a roofing sealant to the Red Boxcar to further protect and preserve this historical railcar and the O gauge layout displayed inside.
This preservation work was made possible by a Heritage Grant from the Amherst Railway Society located in Monson, Massachusetts. The ARS sponsors and hosts one of the largest train shows in North America every January.
Our annual car show was held on Saturday, July 11th and was a resounding success! We had a great turnout this year thanks to the perfect weather, or perhaps it was due to those fabulous new dash plaques as mementos! You can see this year's top vote getter, the lime green woodie at the end of the row.
Our heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers, vendors, participants and spectators who made this year's event such a success! Hope to see you again next year!
On Saturday, September 12, 2026, we brought our portable layout to the 5th Annual Explore Victor Fest, courtesy of Friends of the Railroad. The portable layout brings the fun of model railroading and the history of the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Manchester, New York to various local area community events
Hosted by the Town of Victor, the Annual Explore Victor Fest is a free, family‑friendly community festival with 100+ exhibits, food, and games.
Lehigh Valley Caboose Number 95 019 is here!
Built by the LVRR at its Sayre Yards in Pennsylvania in 1941, this actual caboose saw extensive service in the Lehigh Valley classification yard just west of the Railroad Park in Manchester where our O Scale layout is located. Click on our YouTube link at the bottom of the page for a video of the delivery!
Click on the "Caboose" page link in the menu bar above for more information about this amazing survivor of American railroad history.
If you're interested in learning more about the history of the Caboose in American railroading, follow this link for a History Channel presentation.
Progress Reports
Progress reports on the Red Boxcar layout and the Manchester Railroad Memorial Park
Inside the Green Boxcar at the Manchester Railroad Memorial Park.
Clear finish being applied to the oak paneling in the Green Boxcar. The interior of the Green Boxcar features the same oak flooring as the Red Boxcar!
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.
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.
Authentic Lehigh Valley Railroad Signal Mast
The sanding and painting of a Lehigh Valley Railroad crossing signal mast was completed by MMRA member Rand Warner. Once installed, the signal mast will greet visitors with flashing lights and a bell as they walk up the path to the Red Boxcar Layout. A sensor will trigger the action as they approach!
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.