Get lost in the tiny world of St. James' Model Railroad Club

There are hundreds of feet of model train tracks running through the southern Minnesota town of St. James, and the city's model railroad club keeps chugging along.

St. James is a smaller town with a main street and a railroad running though. But inside this building, the main street and the railroad are even smaller.

The St. James Model Railroad Club was formed in 1989 in the fire hall. They moved into a once dilapidated building Tiell Drive in 2000.

"The furnace was hanging on the wall.  The first year we were really worried," said Chuck Stoll. 

It took Stoll and other members several years to fix things up and lay down their tracks. Now, they can't stop expanding.

"We'll go as far as we can. We haven't been in the attic yet but that might happen," said Stoll.

There are different scales and different trains running every which way. The entire building is 65 feet by 32 feet and within its walls, the landscape frequently changes.

"Mom and dad got me a model train for Christmas, and I've been hooked ever since," said Bill Nelson.
Nelson is the club's president. 

Together, members buy the tracks but donate their trains. Old school Lionel and HO models journey through replicas of Minnesota cities that exist, and some that don't. In one area you'll find a pop culture paradise. 

"We've got the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. We've got the Ghostbusters vehicle running around town," said Nelson. "All the layouts have these little things in here to find."

In this world, just like in our state, the weather can change in an instant. In one section, trains travel through a storm.

As the ideas roll in and more trains are added, the goal is to give visitors a one-way ticket away from reality.

"One nice thing about coming here, is you lose what's out there. You lose yourself in here," said Nelson.

The club is located next to the campgrounds in St. James. They have 15 members and are typically open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays.  But they say if you see one of their cars in the parking lot, you're welcome to stop in and visit.