“Model railroaders are misunderstood,” said McClelland, who lives with his wife, Sharon, in Bethany Village located in Washington Township. “They think we’re adults playing with toy trains, but we’re really trying to create a miniature transportation system with all of its facets.”
Part of simulating the realistic operations of a railroad included the introduction of a centralized traffic control dispatch signal system similar to the ones used by real railroads. He also designed tracks on bench work platforms that allowed the operator, or model train engineer to be able to walk into the diorama-like railroad scene instead of standing to one side and straining to see the other side against a wall.
“Allen has set the standard for model railroading over the past 45 years…not by power but by example” said Gerry Albers, a fellow railroader, who has known McClelland for about 35 years. “I was blessed to be part of the operation crew on his original layout in Dayton.”
With the realistic looking model railroad comes an opportunity for a whole crew to operate numerous 40-car trains as they rumble around switching tracks, passing trains traveling in opposite directions and stopping to load railroad cars at tiny realistic loading docks. Up to 14 people can be involved in operating the award-winning railroad system in positions that include a yard master and dispatcher. Parts of McClelland’s original 1957 railroad will be installed as a permanent exhibit, “The Magic of Scale Model Railroading,” at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.
The recipient of multiple model railroading awards including the coveted Pioneer Award for innovation in model railroading, McClelland is a frequent presenter at Model Railroad conventions and publishes frequently in railroading magazines.
“His operating concepts have been adopted around the world,” said Mervin Hardman, a fellow enthusiast. “He’s one of the most popular model railroaders in the United States.”
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